A Change In Time
by OswinInOz
Summary: First in the Forever Series. The Doctor and Rose go to see Jackie after Mickey decides to stay behind in another universe. It's Christmas time, and everything seems to be going good. That is, until the Doctor realizes there's something very wrong with Rose.
1. Chapter 1

As soon as the TARDIS doors had shut, Rose bolted to her room. She didn't want the Doctor to see her cry, didn't want him to see her when she was weak. She ran in and shut the door, jumping onto her bed and sobbing into her pillow. Why did Mickey have to go? Why did he leave her?

She knew it was selfish, but him being there, loving her, made her feel special. Even though she didn't feel that for him, he did for her. But now she was all alone. Well not alone. There was still the Doctor. But without Mickey things would be awful.

She loved the Doctor. Had for some time, and having Mickey around balanced everything out. But now he was gone, and she was stuck with the Time Lord whom she loved but would never desire her the way she did for him. She began sobbing even harder into the pillow at the thought of the Doctor. Why couldn't he love her? He flirted with her all the time, why couldn't those feelings be real? Why couldn't he love her like she loved him? It didn't seem fair.

* * *

He knew she was trying to keep her feelings from him. That saddened him deeply. Was he really that bad with people when they were upset? Was he not a comforting enough person? He tried, he really did, but why did she have to hide? "Oh," He said aloud softly. "It's because she doesn't want me to see her cry.." The pieces began to fall in place. He was rushing to her door when the TARDIS spoke sharply in his mind.

_Don't,_ she said, making the Doctor jump. He put his hands on his hips.

"And why the bloody Hell not?" The Doctor mentally shot back. To anyone observing their conversation, they'd hear her, but only through beeps and hums. He was telepathic, and with the help of the translator inside his lovely ship, could speak to her.

_ Don't use that tone with me. I was only going to suggest how you approach her,_ the TARDIS huffed. The Doctor sighed. Sometimes he forgot his TARDIS was a female.

"Alright, what should I do?" He asked her, a bit annoyed his was taking advice from a sentient spaceship but open for possibilities. The TARDIS replied simply,

_Knock on the door and you march right in._ The Doctor was confused,

"Why would I do exactly the opposite of what she asks?" He asked. The TARDIS hummed at him as if he were the stupidest bloke to ever step into her console room,

_ She doesn't want you to see her while she's crying, but what she really wants is for you to go in there, wrap your arms around her and tell her everything is going to be okay._ He sighed. The TARDIS was right. Wise, for a ship. But he knew better than that; She wasn't just some ship. She was a TARDIS, a part of the Time Vortex, and she was indeed very wise. Though he never pegged her for a sappy sentimental. He patted her appreciatively and walked up to Rose's room. What he heard on the inside made his hearts burn; She wasn't just crying, she was bawling. Uncontrollably. He knocked,

"Rose," He said, "Are you alright?" The crying ceased. He got no answer for thirty six seconds, the silence defining. He slowly slid down her door, landing on his bum, "Rose, I know it hurts, but please don't shut me out. I know what it's like you know. I-" His voice faltered a bit, "I've lost people. I can help." Again, silence. After a minute and twelve seconds he heard the strained response,

"Doctor please, just leave me be."

Did that count as telling me to go away?" The Doctor mentally asked the TARDIS. She cooed, so the Doctor plucked up his courage and sat up, spun the door knob, and walked into Rose's room. She was laying down on her bed, her face pressed against her tear-stained pillow. Her arms were underneath it, cushioning her head. She was silently crying,

"Doctor," She said, her voice muffled from the pillow and strained from crying, "Please, please leave." Her words hurt him, but the Doctor only went closer to her. He sat on the edge of her bed, eyes fixed on his hands.

"I'm not going anywhere," He finally said. His hand beginning to stroke her back. She stiffened at his touch, and his first reaction was to stop, take a step back, and leave. But he wasn't going to do that. Because truth be told, he liked Rose. More than that. In fact, he loved her. Loved her more than anything in the whole entire universe, or space, or whatever. And he wanted to be there for her, like she was always there for him, always.

"I'm sorry," He said, shuffling and removing his hand. "I'm real rubbish at this. It's just, you mean so much to me Rose. It kills me to see you this way," His voice trailed off and his eyes became fixated on the ceiling. He closed them, "Idiot, idiot, idiot!" Was the mantra he played in his head back to himself. Why was he such a complete arse? Then suddenly, Rose's head lifted off the pillow to stare into the Doctor's eyes. Her's were tearstained, red, and full of sadness. Without a word her arms slipped around his waist and she buried her face in the crook of his neck, crying loudly.

Normally he would feel awkward in these situations, but he wrapped his arms around her back and held her tightly. His thumb traced light circles on her back,

"Shhh, shhh Rose. It's alright. Everything is going to be alright." But her crying didn't stop. In fact, it got even worse as time went by. Suddenly he got an idea that might help,

"Would you like to see your mother?" the Doctor asked. It was the only thing he could think of that might make her feel better, even though her mother scared him half to death. She looked up into his eyes and nodded, but she never let go of him. The Doctor squirmed a bit and said,

"Rose?"

"Mmm?" She replied.

"I have to get up and chart the course.." The Doctor said distantly. Rose nodded and let go, curling up in a ball on her bed. The Doctor got up, went to the door, and looked back at Rose. His eyes wandered along her body to the curve of her backside. Her wondered what it wound feel like; Would it be soft, moulding into his hand like a pillow? Or would it be firm, filling his palms perfectly? At the feel of a bulge forming in his trousers he turned away. Thinking like that was a bad idea, especially when she was so upset. He felt ashamed, thinking of her in that way when she was obviously upset. He walked out the door, but let it open just a crack.

Walking towards the TARDIS's console, he pressed in keys and got the TARDIS to arrive at Jackie Tyler's house, about a year since their last visit. The sound of their arrival hummed, and the Doctor was surprised when he found Rose at his side, any indication that she had been crying gone from her face. But that was about to change. As soon as the doors to the TARDIS opened, Jackie Tyler was face to face with him and her daughter.

"Where's Mickey? What happened sweetheart?" She asked innocently, not having a clue what had happened. Rose's face squinted up, and she rushed into her mother's embrace. The Doctor stood and watched, completely unsure what to do. So he pushed his hands in his trouser pockets, leaned against the door frame of the TARDIS, and fell silent. Rose sobbed into her mother's shoulder loudly, causing the Doctor to wince in pain. He never liked to see Rose in pain, it burned his hearts.

Jackie cooed to her daughter and patted her back, shushing in her ear. Jackie let go of her and held her shoulders, studying her daughter's face,

"Now you've got to get some sleep sweetheart," Jackie said sadly.

"But 'm not tired.." Rose protested, her voice quavering. Jackie tensed,

"Rose, you're exhausted. Now go back to your room and go to sleep, please sweetheart." The Doctor could tell Jackie was doing everything in her power not to cry. Rose began to protest some more, when the Doctor took action into his own hands, crossing the room and putting a finger to her temple. In an instant she was asleep, her body limply fell back against his, and in one fluid motion he scooped Rose up in his arms and took her to her room. Using his trainer clad foot, he pried open the door and swooped into her bedroom. He remembered being in here during his regeneration, about one year from now. Even though he had been knocked cold for the most part, every now and again he would whimper in his sleep as his body regenerated a large amount of energy, or he was releasing a lot at one time. He remembered how badly it had hurt, and how Rose had stayed by his side, dabbing at his forehead with a wet washcloth a whispering to him things he couldn't even remember.

He sighed, gently dropping her body onto her bed. He took hold of her covers, pulling them up under her chin. At least in sleep she wouldn't be in pain. He bent down gently and kissed her brow, his lips gently pressing against her warm flesh. Then he got up, and was about to leave her room when he heard a faint sigh,

"Do-c-or," Rose moaned in her sleep. The Doctor spun around, his eyes going at once to Rose. She was asleep, but her brows were knit together and she was moaning his name. She seemed upset, as if whatever she was dreaming about was not good. "Docter," She said, "Don't.. go." Oh, he thought. She was having a dream of him. What was wrong? Was he dying, or was he stranding her somewhere on her own? Or was she half conscious, eyes closed, her mind fully aware of his departure?

Slowly he settled down next to her on her bed. He began to stroke her forehead, and slowly her knitted eyebrows became soft and her lips curved into the start of a smile. Her smiling made him smile, and soon the Doctor was grinning brightly, stroking up and down Rose's arm. He shifted, trying to get into a more comfortable position. He removed his jacket and trainers, setting them beside each other on the floor. He twisted on his side and suddenly Rose was curling next to him, her arm around his chest and leg wrapped around his own. Her head had found home in the crook of his neck, her breath warm against his skin.

At first he was shock-still. What if Jackie walked in and beat him senseless for crawling in bed with her daughter? What if Rose woke up, embarrassed and shy and not able to speak with him for a few days? He shook of those thoughts. She was indeed the one who wrapped herself around him..

Slowly and gently the Doctor wrapped his arms around Rose's waist. Plucking up some courage he used his arms to pull her as close to him as possible. She sighed contently in her sleep, squeezing her arm around his chest tighter. He carefully pulled the duvet around them, providing Rose with extra warmth.

It felt so good, him finally getting to hold Rose in his arms. She was so beautiful and wonderful and smelled so good. He wanted to kiss her, but fought the urge back. Suddenly his eyes began to heavy, and he closed them, falling into a deep and much needed sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When he woke up three hours and sixteen minutes later, it was dark out. Rose was still asleep beside him, her eyes closed and her mouth curved into a content, sleepy smile. Slowly and carefully as not to wake her, the Doctor extracted himself from Rose's body. She shifted, rolling into the place in bed where he had slept, humming in contentment at the imprint it left. He picked his trainers up off the floor, sliding them onto his feet and doing the laces. He picked up his jacket and slid it on, taking his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and running it over his suit, taking out all the crinkles. He walked towards the door, opened it, looked back.

She was so beautiful when she slept. In fact, she was the most beautiful person he's ever seen. He stepped out the door, shutting it quietly behind him. Once outside Rose's bedroom, the Doctor could really take a look around the Tyler residence; It was much cleaner than it was before, and the walls had definitely been painted over. Over the fireplace- Which actually was filled with wood rather than magazines like it was during his last visit- were pictures of the Tyler family. He slowly advanced, looking at each picture with interest.

There was a picture of Rose when she was a baby, taken by a professional photographer. Next to it was a picture of Pete Tyler holding Rose. She was sleeping, and Pete was smiling broadly at the tiny infant in his hands. Beside that picture was a photograph of Rose just a few years younger than she is now. She was laughing, Mickey beside her smiling down at her, and beside them a woman he could only guess as Shereen, Rose's best mate. She'd talked about her on several occasions, each story always ending with a perverted joke Shereen had made. From what Rose has told him, the Doctor got the impression Shereen was a bit of a slag; Mouth wise, not so much as a slag in general. He smiled to himself, moving on down the line of pictures. The one to the far right surprised him; It was a picture of him and Rose at Christmas last year. He picked the picture up wit his right hand, putting his left in his pocket. He took his glasses from his pocket and put them on, looking at the picture more closely; He was sitting in his borrowed pajamas, Rose wearing a revealing tank top and long pants. She was looking at the Doctor, who was staring intently at his, the biggest grin on his face that he'd ever had. He was holding a bunch of bananas, insisting Rose have one. She was laughing, her hands out in front of her. There were tears of happiness in her eyes. The Doctor could feels his own getting moist.

"That's a great picture," Jackie Tyler said, her voice sounding distant. The Doctor spun around to face her. She was smiling, her hands crossed over her chest.

"It is," He agreed. And it was. Even though he really thought he looked like a pillock, it brought back a great memory. Not to mention Rose looked absolutely beautiful.

"How is she?" Jackie asked, a hint of worry in her voice. The Doctor put the photo back on the stand above the fireplace, took his glasses off, and looked back at Jackie, "Is she okay?"

"I hope so. Before we got here, she was crying so much, I didn't know what to do.." His voice trailed off. He didn't want to think about it, or let Jackie hear his voice falter. She smiled weakly,

"Well I'm glad you brought her home. Just in time too. Didn't think you'd come this Christmas." He nodded,

"Yeah well, Rose needed to see you. I wasn't planning on coming this soon; I was gonna wait a couple of months to come for Christmas actually. Rose would want to and the TARDIS makes you forget the days."

He heard the slap before he felt it, and when he did it shocked and hurt his now reddening cheek,

"Oi! What did you do that for?" The Doctor seethed, rubbing his cheek. She slapped the other one,

"Oi! If ya keep hitting me I'm gonna get real angry Jackie!" She hit him again. The Doctor's cheeks burned, and his eyes were full of tears, "Will you stop hitting me!?" The Doctor exclaimed through gritted teeth. She did, but he was surprised when he pulled away from her to find that she had tears in her eyes.

"Do you know how hard it is _Doctor_?" She said his name with poison in her voice. The Doctor winced. "Do you know how hard it is to wake up every morning, wondering if your daughter is alive? I sit by the telephone every day, hoping I'll get five minutes on the phone with my daughter before she has to go on another adventure without me! It was never easy, but at least before I had Mickey. Came over everyday he did. We talked about things, but never about Rose because we both knew we'd cry.." Her voice had been loud but broke as the tears came down her face. "I love my daughter Doctor. More than anything. And I don't know if I can have her galavanting across the Universe with an alien, who won't, who wont.." Who won't what? He wondered.

"Pardon?" The Doctor said dumbfounded. He should have said something rather than sound like a wanker who wasn't listening. Jackie's hand swooped down and cracked him again. This time she actually split his lip.

"Were you not listening to me alien boy!?" Jackie roared. She would have hit him again, the Doctor knew, had it not been for the sight of his blood.

"Oh," She said, confusion and guilt portraying on her face instead of the sadness and anger that was once there. "Doctor, I'm-" But the Doctor wouldn't let her apologize. He deserved it,

"Jackie don't apologize, you have every right to be angry with me. But we have to get one thing strait; I would never let Rose get hurt. I'll never let anyone hurt her because I love her Jackie." He couldn't believe he had just said all these things to Rose's mother before he even told Rose herself.  
All the talking they were doing made them completely forget about his lip, when suddenly the Doctor had the taste of blood in his mouth. As much as he loved to lick everything as Rose said, blood was something he didn't go for.

"Come on dear, let me fix ya up, maybe make a nice cuppa yeah?" Jackie grabbed his hand and pulled him through the kitchen, where she practically pushed him into a chair at the table. She first started the kettle, then came back with a damp washcloth and began dabbing at the Doctor's lip.  
"Jackie, I'm quite alright. I think I can survive a split lip. I've been tortured before. Mind you, it wasn't in this body, thank God. Although I do remember the bloke that was torturing me. Bloody manky that one was. He actually enjoyed taking a blade and putting it right under my-"  
"Doctor," Jackie said, eyebrows raised. "Where exactly did this torturer put his blade?" Jackie smiled her I-know-what-you-were-going-to-say-but-want-you-to- say-it-anyway smile. The Doctor blushed a bright tomato red,

"Uh, just the soft part of my skin.." The Doctor mumbled, tugging at his ear and looking in the other direction. Jackie Tyler was a magnificent woman. She could be icy and harsh, crude and vile, and sweet and caring all at the same time. It was maddening.

"So how long has it been?" Jackie asked, her eyes full of anticipation. The Doctor's eyebrows shot into his hairline,

"How long has what been?" Jackie raised an eyebrow at him while he picked up his tea and took a sip,

"How long have you been shagging my daughter?" The Doctor sputtered into his cup, lucky it was still at his lips. If it wasn't he was sure there would be tea stains on his favorite suit.

"Sleeping with Rose? No! No! Haven't ever slept with Rose before! No! Not saying I don't want to! Oh that came out wrong.. She's very attractive! I mean beautiful! Really really beautiful! But no, no, no!" And the Doctor could have kept rambling had it not been for Jackie clamping a hand down on his mouth,

"Okay, okay alien boy. Don't get your nickers in a bunch." The Doctor's cheeks burned. He didn't wear _nickers._

"I just thought what with you sleeping with her back there for three hours that you're in a relationship's all.." Jackie smiled at the Doctor's horror struck look,

"Oh I was just making sure she was asleep. I was just gonna sit next to her, but she was the one who curled into me. She curled into _me.._" The Doctor mumbled. Jackie smiled,

"So you're not shaggin' my daughter?"

"Nope." The Doctor said with that familiar popping sound he made when he got to the 'p'.

"But you want to?" Jackie asked. The Doctor sighed. When had this conversation gotten so intimate?

"Jackie.." The Doctor started, but she stopped him by waving a hand in his face,

"Doctor if you want to be in a relationship with my daughter that's fine. I have only but two rules: No weird alien sex, and no getting married without me." The Doctor was stunned. He opened and shut his mouth several times until he finally just blurted out,

"Weird alien sex?" He really hopped he sounded appalled because he was completely and utterly appalled. Jackie smirked,

"Well I don't know if you have sex the same way as we do. You do have a penis right?" The Doctor's eyebrows were so far up his hairline they were barely visible. His eyes bulged out of his head,

"Yes I have a bloody penis, would you like to see it?" The Doctor exclaimed, instantly regretting the words that had poured out of his mouth. Jackie smiled,

"As much as I would _love_ to see it sweetheart, I don't think Rose would be too happy. Plus you are basically just a strip of nothing.." His cheeks burned. Looking for any way to get off the subject of his genitals, the Doctor asked,

"So what should I do for her?" Jackie tilted her head to the side in confusion. "You know, when she's upset. Is there anything she might want to do? Watch a movie, eat food, I don't really know. I haven't ever actually seen her cry before." Jackie seemed to be lost in thought. Finally she said,

"Well when she's sad she likes to walk around town, 'getting a feel of the place' is what she called it. Oh I know, take her to see the Christmas tree! With all your galavanting across the universe she hasn't actually gotten to see the tree in three years! It was her favorite thing about Christmas."

"Oi, what about last year?" The Doctor asked, feeling guilty he took away Rose's favorite part of Christmas.

"Well she stayed with you every second. The only time she left was when Mickey threatened to stab you unless she got out and had some fun. She was so miserable. Cried so much, held ya hand, she even fell asleep beside you one night." The Doctor blushed. He hadn't known that. He looked over at the clock; 8:16.

"So, should I wake her up?" The Doctor asked. Jackie tutted,

"Nope. That's my job. You just go change into something more.. street like, yeah? People are gonna look at you like you're some sort of nutter. Do you even own a pair of jeans?" The Doctor glared,

"Of course I own a pair of jeans. Doesn't mean I have to wear them.." The Doctor grumbled, getting up from his seat and walking towards the door to the flat.

"And remember Doctor, jeans!" Jackie called after him. The Doctor sighed, then opened the door and walked towards the TARDIS.

Once he stepped inside the TARDIS put the wardrobe right next to the door. "Thanks old girl," the Doctor said, going inside and looking for the jeans isle. He hadn't worn jeans since his last body. It just didn't feel right in this one. Besides, he knew Rose liked him in a suit. Any time he was walking in front of her her eyes would trail to his backside. But then again, she did that when he wore jeans in his last body. As he was debating weather or not to actually change, he remembered Jackie's words and instantly knew he had to change or face the wrath of an angry Tyler. He winced at the thought.

He slowly pulled jeans on, then shrugged off his jacket and tie, leaving the white cotton shirt. He muttered to himself about pushy mothers. He shrugged on a jumper and his brown coat, then went back up to Jackie's flat.

"Yep, definitely an improvement." He narrowed his eyes and began muttering again.

* * *

The water felt extraordinary against her skin. She put it on super hot, not caring that it was scalding her scalp. All she could think about was Mickey. Okay, so they weren't dating, but he still had friendship obligations. He still had to be there for her, and now he never could again. There were things Mickey could do for her that the Doctor never could, like put his arms around her, hold her. Stroke her hair, whisper nice things in her ear, make her feel okay again. He used to make her cookies when she was upset. They'd eat them together while watching cheesy movies that her mother had picked up the day before. They'd laugh, and whatever had made Rose upset would just drift away.

She washed her hair, making sure it was clean and fresh. Then she shaved her legs and washed her face. Turning off the shower, she wrapped herself up in a towel and opened the bathroom door, stepping out and saying,

"Hey mum have you seen my white- Ahh!" She exclaimed, finally seeing the Doctor sitting at the table next to her mother, his jaw wide open, staring at her long, bare legs. Rose turned around to stare at the wall, her cheeks burning.

"Sorry, so sorry, didn't see anything!" The Doctor exclaimed, covering his eyes with his hands and blushing profoundly.

"So, uhm, mum, have you seen my white sweater that gran got me about three Christmases ago?" Jackie smirked at Rose and the Doctor,

"Yup. Just took it out of the wash with the rest of the whites. Check the laundry room." Rose began walking towards the laundry room when she stopped, turned around, and walked towards her room. After several minutes she emerged, hair blow dried and wearing a robe,

"Much better dear," Jackie said, winking at the Doctor who was still staring blankly out the window. He turned to look at Rose, now clad in some sort of clothing. He smiled nervously. Rose gave him a curious look,

"You're not wearing your suit?" The Doctor smiled,

"Nope. Your mother insisted people would stare." Rose made a noise in her throat and gave her mother a look.

"You know it's true sweetheart. As if his personality wont draw enough attention."

"Oi!" He said, giving Jackie Tyler a look. Deciding it best to leave, Rose stealthily made her way across the flat and into the laundry room. Once inside she slumped on the ground. She really hoped she could talk to the Doctor about Mickey. She knew if she kept it in that it would just get worse. Plus, if she told her mother she knew she'd probably cry, and she didn't want that. She didn't want someone to cry with. She wanted someone to listen to her speak, someone who wouldn't talk back. She wanted the Doctor.

She quickly got dressed and walked out the door, grabbing the Doctor's hand and dragging him out of the chair he was sitting in. He barely had time to set his tea mug back on the table,

"Well we're off mum. Be back in a tic!" She shouted over her shoulder. She was surprised that the Doctor let her drag him about her flat and out the door. Once outside, the cold air blowing in her face, Rose stopped, savoring the bite of it on her skin. She stood like that for a while, eyes closed, lips parted, her hand intwined in the Doctor's. She felt her fingers squeeze together and looked up at the Doctor. He was staring up at the stars, his eyes fixated on one point in general. He looked down at her, then squeezed her hand again for reassurance.

Slowly, the Doctor led the way to the tree, his eyes scanning this way and that, looking at nothing in particular for far too long. When they got to the tree Rose gasped. It was more beautiful than she remembered. Every light twinkled in a bright, delightful glow. The star atop it was marvelous, gold and glowing. Even the tree had a certain handsomeness about it that Rose couldn't exclaim. "Wow," She breathed, loving the sight of it. She turned and looked at the Doctor happily, then turned to the side to ask Mickey if he- and then it hit her. Mickey wasn't there. Mickey wasn't with them and he was never coming back. Her eyes filled with silent tears and she looked away.

"This was Mickey's favorite thing to do during Christmas too. He loved the tree. Used to chat up the girl that stood by the security line and flirt his way into getting us closer. He was so-"She stopped as the tears began pouring down her cheeks. The Doctor's hand slipped from hers and snaked it's way around her waist. The other one took her hands so they rested atop his own. He laid his chin down atop her head,

"Do you want to talk about it?" The Doctor asked her, rubbing small circles into her hand. Rose nodded her head,

"I just don't understand why he left, you know? He knew that he was important to me. Knew that I needed him. Maybe not as a boyfriend like he hoped, but I still needed him to be there for me. But now he can't be. Now he can't ever be there to enjoy moments like this with me.." Her voice trailed off as she looked up at the tree. It didn't seem as beautiful as it did a few mere seconds ago. She continued on, wanting to get everything out now,

"I mean, I know it sounds selfish, but when he was around I felt thought about. I felt- loved. And I loved him back- as a brotherly thing mind you- but still. I mean, I just feel like nobody wants me anymore." As the words left her mouth they surprised her. But thinking about it, it really seemed true. She continued on before the Doctor could stop her,

"It wasn't just with Mickey leaving. When I saw my mum on that other universe, we talked. She told me I was just a serving girl. That I didn't matter to the world. I even told my father I was his child, tried to help him save his wife- My mother!- and he still told me to go away. And then there's Mickey.." The tears flowed freely down her cheeks now. The Doctor spun her around to face him, his eyes boring into her own,

"Now you listen to me Rose Marion Tyler," He said seriously, "No one thinks that about you. You are one of the smartest, kindest, most beautifully brilliant people in the world and you're wonderful and just an amazing person. Don't ever think poorly about yourself. Ever." He paused and looked into her eyes, then brushed the tears away. "Now about Mickey. He couldn't cope being just friends with you, and he always felt like a third wheel with us. In that universe he was a part of something, or so he thought. I always thought Mickey was impressive. Okay, maybe not in my last incarnation, but I have in this one. He just wanted to feel like he was making a difference, and he couldn't here. Plus his gram was back there, and he loves he gram. Not saying he doesn't love you Rose, because he does. That life was just.. Easier." Rose nodded, unable to find words. The Doctor was right, and she was so happy that she had him in her life. The Doctor kissed Rose's forehead, them out them back in the same position as before; Arms around her waist and head atop hers.

"Did you know Rose," He said, "that I know the name of every single star and constellation in the sky right now?" Rose laughed out loud, a noise he was happy to hear, though not in this situation, "Don't believe me do you?" That made Rose giggle even more.

"Okay Doctor, if you really know all the star's names, what that one?" Rose asked pointing into the air. The Doctor smiled,

"Rose, you could be talking about any one of those stars in the sky." Rose giggled profoundly,

"You're just saying that because you don't know its name." The Doctor put on his fake offended face,

"Rose Tyler!" He said in mock offense. After a moment of silence Rose looped arms with him and put her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you Doctor. You're amazing." Rose closed her eyes and smiled despite everything bad that had happened the day before. It felt so good to let go and just be with the Doctor.

"Rose, I promise you a Christmas this year. A right Christmas. A human Christmas. There will be no aliens- besides myself of course- and you can invite your family and everything. And I wont mope, promise." Rose smiled brightly and turned to face him,

"Really?" She asked hopefully.

"Really," He assured her. His arms wrapped around her from the front and pulled her into his chest. He gave her hand a gently squeeze. She returned it.


	3. Chapter 3

They stood like that for what seemed like forever, Rose clinging onto the Doctor like she would die without his embrace. But he didn't mind; He liked whenever she would hold onto him, hold his hand, kiss his cheek; which was even more rare. He closed his eyes and inhaled softly, loving the smell of her. She smelled like lavender and honey and a scent he could only identify as Rose. He exhaled softly onto her neck, causing her to sigh with contentment. It was moments like these when he really wanted to kiss her. He wanted to know what her lips tasted like, what her tongue would feel like wrestling with his own. At the feel of his trousers beginning to heavy he closed his eyes and shook the thoughts away. This body was so hormonal. He pulled back from her, knowing full well that if he didn't he would probably kiss her. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her, making her smile. _She is so beautiful_he thought. _Why can't I break the rules just this once? _He closed his eyes again, internally kicking himself. He knew what happened when you went down the just-this-once rout. It's never just this once. Once you give in, it continues. And he didn't want him and Rose to be like that; Just some fling until she died and he got a new companion to play with. He loves Rose. So he wont subject her to that.

He opened his eyes and smiled down at her, "I think we should go back to your mum's flat. She's probably worried." Rose sighed and looked up at the tree, then back at the Doctor,

"Okay," She replied, turning around and trudging through the snow. Her hands fell into her pockets- much to the Doctor's dismay- and she walked fast, as if she didn't want him to stand beside her. He scampered after her, and once he reached her he slowed his pace to match her own foot movements. Rose was oddly quiet. He snuck a look at her while she wasn't paying attention. She seemed fine, yet there was less skip in her step. Even though it was probably due to the fact that Mickey was gone, the Doctor couldn't help but feel like things had gotten worse. Was it something he did? Did he say something wrong? Sometimes he felt he wasn't good for anything. Sure he could save the world half a dozen times, but did they ever thank him? Sometimes people did, but a lot of times the creatures he saved were just so ungrateful..

But Rose never was. If he ever had to save her, if she didn't tell him while they were running for their lives, she'd tell him how much she loved to be with him and that he was wonderful and she was glad to have met him. And then she'd thank him. That's just the type of girl she was; Wonderful and passionate and so kind. The silence was defining, so the Doctor decided to change that,

"So what do you want to do?" He asked, searching her eyes for an answer. She frowned,

"What do you mean?" She asked, her eyes looking at everything but him. He sighed,

"While we're here. Plenty to do, you and me. And Jackie. Let's not forget Jackie. Whatever you want Rose; We could go visit your relatives, go to see a movie, stay in and eat, anything you want and we'll do it. Promise." She finally looked up at him. He was wearing a smile he hoped she returned. She did, but weakly. It was gone as quickly as it had come,

"Dunno," She said, fixating her eyes in front of her, "Guess we could just hang out at the flat 'til Christmas. Leave the next day. That's only four days. Think you'll survive?" Rose stopped and was looking at him seriously. He knew that she would never say it out loud, but she wanted to be with her mother so badly. She didn't get to see her much, but the old him had always hated domestic, so Rose never asked. He hated that. Hated the old him. Sure he may have been able to make the tough decisions faster and done things a bit better than he could have, but the old him held no happiness. He was a dark and unhappy person then. But his love for Rose had changed him, morphed this new body into someone who could love, and play, and flirt, and just be a man that Rose could be playful around. He smiled at her,

"Of course Rose. Take all the time you need." She smiled at him and walked up to her mother's doorstep, pulling out her key. She stuck it in the lock and twisted the knob, opening the door and stepping into the thresh hold of her mother's flat. The Doctor smiled. She was so quiet, so careful, afraid her mother might be asleep. That was Rose Tyler alright; Always looking out for others before she even thought about herself.

"Mum?" Rose tentatively asked, pulling her key from the lock and ushering the Doctor in, "Mum you awake?" Suddenly Jackie Tyler burst into the room, smiling brighter than he was. He frowned, wondering if this was a fake smile Jackie had put on to break some bad news to Rose. But her smile seemed genuine, and suddenly Rose was pulled into her mother's tight embrace.

"Rose!" She shouted excitedly, "Your uncle Todd called a few minutes after you left and when I told him that you were here he said that he was having a christmas party this year and wanted us to come! Can you believe it Rose? You're going to get to see your uncle Todd!" Rose smiled and pulled her mother back,

"Can I talk to him?" She exclaimed happily. Jackie frowned,

"I'm sorry sweetheart, he was with his boss on the other line. I tried to get him to stay- I really did- bu-" Rose cut her off with another hug,

"Mum, mum! It's okay. I can't believe it! We're going to go see uncle Todd!" The Doctor sighed, but smiled, liking to see Rose happy; A nice change from before. She must have forgotten he was there, because when he moved to go get some coffee Rose jumped him and spun him around,

"Oh, but you'll come along too Doctor, yeah?" Rose asked, her voice hopeful and her eyes pleading. It didn't take him a beat to realize why she felt like she had to ask. His ninth self had not been a fan of domestic. But this him was. Okay, maybe it wasn't his first choice, but he could live with it. Plus he loved doing domestic activities. (Did parties count as domestic?) He remembered when he had traveled with his sister and she had fallen ill. He had taken her home and they had lived at home for a few years. He had left after a while- couldn't stand standing still in time- but he had stayed for awhile. He was contemplating all of this when he realized he still hadn't answered Rose. He swallowed, put on his best, real smile and said,

"I can't wait." Jackie turned to face the two and added,

"Oh, and it's tomorrow."

* * *

Of course her mother insisted they go dress shopping. "If we're going to a proper Christmas party, don't you think you'll need proper attire?" and "You'll look so beautiful even the Doctor wont be able to ignore you." Of course that had just made the Doctor blush considerably and Rose had turned her head in sheer embarrassment. After much talk and some frustrate cries, Rose had agreed to a day of shopping with her mother. Jackie insisted the Doctor come along as well. Walking away Jackie had leaned in and whispered to the Doctor, "This is going to be your chance to tell my daughter how you feel. Don't screw it up." He had blushed, and even though Rose couldn't hear what her mother had said, she knew it was something about her. Then the most shocking part of the night happened; Jackie Tyler gave her twenty one year old daughter and her nine hundred year old companion a bed time.

"You're not going to be a slug-a-bed tomorrow Rose Marion Tyler!" Her mother shouted, causing Rose to blush profoundly. "We are getting up nice and early so I can get you a dress and you can look beautiful. Plus I don't think the Doctor has a tux in that home of yours." She added under her breath. Rose smiled, realizing that she might just be able to get the Doctor to let her dress him. _Oh this is going to be wonderful, _She thought.

After making plans for the morning Jackie sent Rose and the Doctor to bed, ignoring the Doctor's pleading, "But I'm not _tired._" Jackie had simply tutted and stated if he didn't get into bed she was going to slap him into a regeneration. He quieted after that. Then the dilemma came; Where would the Doctor sleep? The Doctor had told Rose that he could sleep in the TARDIS, but Jackie wouldn't hear it. She thought he'd be up all night tinkering with the TARDIS-which would probably end up being true-and insisted he sleep in the house. Her mother just didn't understand the fact that Time Lords didn't need as much sleep as humans. All the same, when Jackie Andrea Suzette Tyler had made up her mind, her foot was down.

Jackie offered the Doctor her own bed, that she would reside on the couch. But the Doctor wouldn't have it. He was a guest in her home and _he _would sleep on the couch. But from Rose's own experience she knew that bloody couch was dreadfully uncomfortable and offered to share her bed with him.

"And where would you be?" The Doctor asked, clearly uncomfortable. Rose quirked and eyebrow and said,

"In bed next to you. We've had to share a bed before Doctor, I hardly see how it would be a problem now." But in truth Rose was a bit nervous. Every time her and the Doctor had to share a bed together her heart would flutter and she'd steer as clear from him as possible without making it obvious and hurting his feelings. But this was different, and she could see was he was not all too eager at sharing; It was her bed. In her room. It was different whenever it was in a guest house. Other people had slept in that bed before them, it wasn't personal, and it sure wasn't covered in Rose's old possessions she hadn't bothered to bring along with her to the TARDIS for their adventures. The Doctor smiled bravely and said, "Alright, I will take you up on that offer. Unless of course your mother-" But Jackie cut him off, giving him and baffled look,

"My daughter is old enough to make her own decisions." Rose smiled and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. Without turning around she guided him into her room and shut the door. She flipped on the light, walking slowly over to a drawer and pulling out her jim jams. The Doctor gulped behind her and she smiled. Either he was looking at her arse or hoping to see her change. She was fine with either.

After pulling out a matching set Rose turned, facing the Doctor,

"I'm gonna go change. Be back in a tic." Then she stepped out of her room into the bathroom joined to her bedroom. She quickly changed and brushed her teeth, then opened the door and stepped out of the loo. What she saw made her heart flutter; The Doctor had toed his trainers off and had taken his jacket off, laying it over the chair by her desk. He was in the midst of unbuttoning his shirt when she appeared from the loo, smiling brightly at the sight in front of her. He blushed. He finished undressing, leaving on his trousers and undershirt- much to Rose's disappointment.

Rose crawled into bed, slightly over-warmed by her long pajamas and the covers on top of her. The Doctor hesitated, then crawled into bed beside her. He was always strangely cooler than herself, and Rose couldn't resist curling into the Doctor's side and resting her head on his chest, taking comfort in his hearts dual thumping. Instead of stiffening up like Rose had predicted, he leaned into her, as if he had held up barriers that had suddenly collapsed at her touch. She smiled, liking when the Doctor dropped said barriers and let her hold him. The Doctor sat up a bit, causing Rose's head to slide from his chest to his thigh. She sat up to, wondering why he was up. His eyes were furrowed up into each other, a quirk she knew indicated he was thinking,

"Wocha thinking about Doctor?" She asked him, eyes searching his own, as if trying to read his mind with her gaze. He smiled at her,

"Is your uncle Todd your father's brother?" He asked her knowingly. She smiled,

"Yep. His twin brother actually. Although they're nothing alike. He's a bit pervy in truth, but that's why I love 'im. Finds the joy in life and makes sure he's never upset. Mum told me that at dad's funeral he insisted telling every funny story about him. He's a character that one." Rose sounded distant, almost as if she were somewhere else. And in a way she was. She was thinking about all the wonderful things her and her uncle Todd used to do. She was just starting to play an old memory in her head when the Doctor asked,

"You don't see him very much?" Rose shook her head,

"He works a lot, on a very tight schedule. He works at Clifford Chance; you know, the huge law firm in London?. He works case after case after case we barely get to see him anymore. He used to have an annual Christmas party; A way of getting everyone together for a day. But work got in the way. I don't think we've actually had one in, oh I don't know, six, seven years. Wasn't too long ago." Rose sighed and smiled at the Doctor, loving that they could talk like this. There was still Mickey nagging at the back of her head, but all of her previous worries from earlier on that night seemed insignificant. The Doctor just had that effect on people; He could take their minds to another place, another time, forgetting all their troubles. The Doctor sighed and smiled, stroking his hand up her arm. It ran shivers down her spine. She suddenly felt very sleepy.

"You tired?" The Doctor asked her. She nodded. He leaned over and flipped off the light, then pulled Rose flush against his chest and kissed her head. Rose burrowed into him, loving the feel of him underneath her. He pulled the duvet over the two of them and closed his eyes. Rose smiled and shut her eyes as well. Everything seemed to be okay now. Her and the Doctor would be okay. She was going to see her uncle Todd! And even though everything with Mickey wouldn't go away, it was nice to push everything out of her mind. Even for a little while.

* * *

He was jolted awake by a very eager Jackie Tyler,

"Up, up you lazy sod!"

"I'm up, I'm up!" He growled, annoyed. He looked to his side and frowned; Rose was not beside him. The Doctor looked up at Jackie, giving her a questioning glance.

"She's getting dressed," Jackie said, answering his unspoken question. He nodded and sat up, looking around the room. He located his jacket and hopped up from Rose's bed. Though not as eager as Jackie was, the Doctor refused to let her know that. He'd put on a show for her or he'd get a slap. Simple, Time Lord logic. Or was it Doctor logic? He smiled at how funny his brain was sometimes. No wonder Rose had to shut him up frequently; He would babble on and on while his mind worked a hundred miles an hour working and thinking and rambling about. Sometimes he wondered how she put up with him. He pushed the thought out of his head. Rose and him were best mates, always would be. This new body had given him that opportunity.

The thought then had his mind trailing off to when he was in his last body. Sure they were good mates, but that's all they were; Good mates. In this body they were great mates, best mates. He remembered how cruel he could be to her. How he'd insult her race and call her a stupid ape. He physically winced when the memory of the time he had called her a stupid ape and told her her race was completely useless came into mind. She had tears in her eyes, but he never saw them shed. She had bolted from the room and-with the aid of the TARDIS-was kept away from him for several hours until his ship finally turned on to his side and opened up the door she had been hiding in.

But that was all in the past, thankfully. He loved Rose deeply and was happy she preferred this body like he did. A sudden fear coursed through his entire body; What would happen if he regenerated? Would he be able to mimic this form? It wasn't just the personality that he didn't want to give up; It was the body, too. This body was well-in all honesty-sexy. Attractive. Handsome. Gorgeous. He knew Rose thought so. Every so often he'd see her eyes linger on his backside, or her eyes trail down to stare at his lips. He hadn't minded. In fact, he liked it a lot. He liked that she was physically attracted to him. He knew he wasn't a looker in his last body. His large nose stuck out prominently from his face, and his short cropped hair didn't do much for him other than making his large ears stick out even more so.

His mind was involuntarily pulled from his thoughts when Rose walked in her bedroom. Although she didn't look it, the Doctor could tell she had just taken a shower. The scent of her lavender shampoo lingered in the air, and her honey body wash was a wondrous aroma clinging to her skin. He felt a tug in his pants and he realized-horror struck-that he was most definitely aroused. He pushed away thoughts of what she looked like in the shower and softened. He smiled at her, a smile she returned,

"Hello," the Doctor said to her. His eyes searched the room and he realized Jackie was no longer with them. How had she slipped past him so easily?

"Hello," She responded cheekily, bouncing on the balls of her feet. The Doctor was suddenly confused; He knew Rose Tyler like the back of his hand, and if he knew one thing about her, it was that she really didn't enjoy shopping all that much. He must have looked like a confused puppy, because Rose giggled and asked,

"Something wrong?" The Doctor smiled and chuckled,

"Everything's fine. It's just.. I thought you didn't like shopping?" Rose laughed and smiled, biting her lip,

"I don't. Truth is, as soon as mum told us we were going, I was going to say no. But this is for uncle Todd, and I don't want to disappoint him. Besides, how could I not be happy? I'm going to see my favorite family member, apart from my mum of course." She smiled and took a step closer to me, "Plus, it's not just about me. My mum needs to get a dress too, and I do enjoy dressing her up. And-" She took another step towards me, her hands clasped firmly behind her back, "I get to dress you up. My own little ken doll." The Doctor gulped and looked at Rose, suddenly nervous. He was glad when her husky tone changed to something more cheeky and comical, bringing back the Rose he knew, "Might not be as muscular as a ken doll, but you do have better hair." The Doctor out on his fake-stern face and stared down at Rose,

"Oi! I am too more muscular than a hunk of plastic." He paused for a moment before saying, "But I _do_ have great hair." Rose laughed and smiled before saying,

"If you put the rest of your clothes on, the three of us can go down to the TARDIS so you can change. Mum'd like to get going by 9:30." The Doctor looked around the room but couldn't locate a clock.

"What time is it then?"

"9:16." The Doctor huffed and shrugged on his jacket, then knelt down by the bed and put on his trainers. When he stood back up Rose's body was leaning against the door frame. She was smiling at him. She extended her hand he took it, letting her lead him out her bedroom door and into the kitchen. Rose squeezed his hand tighter when they approached her mother,

"Ready mum?" Rose asked. Jackie nodded and smiled at Rose then asked,

"Are you ready?" The Doctor opened his mouth to answer, but Rose did for him,

"He just need to change back into his pinstripes and we'll be out'a here." Rose looked up at the Doctor, a kind smile on her lips, "Let's go?" The Doctor chuckled a bit,

"Yup. Allons-y!" Then he took Rose's hand and they ran out of Jackie's flat and down the steps towards the TARDIS. He could hear Rose's gasp at the sudden movement, but soon enough heard her wonderfully warm laugh right behind him. Jackie was behind them, smiling kindly. He didn't know if she understood the notion; How could she? She wasn't with them on their little adventures, seeing the way they would run off together. But this was them. They ran into everything together. And that was how it was supposed to be; The Doctor and Rose, their hands clasped together, feet pounding into the ground beneath them as they ran into whatever peril lie ahead. _Or maybe_, he thought, _just maybe something beautiful._


	4. Chapter 4

She had tried on nine dresses. The first one was a light coral colored dress, strapless, and came down to her knees. She had liked it, until she saw the giant bow on the back. She had asked it was removable, but of course, it wasn't. She asked if she could cut it off, but the clerk insisted that the removal of the bow was not an option. The next three had been picked out by her mother and none of them seemed to look good on her. The third one she had tried on- An olive dress that came to the floor-had made her look as if she were shaped like a pear. When she wined and told her mother that, the Doctor outwardly cringed and said, "Rose, never compare anything to a pear. Pears are disgusting." When Rose had gone back into the dressing room to remove the dress, Jackie came in bearing another one. This one was another short one, red in color, and very pretty. She snatched it from her mother's grasp, eager to try it on. She had always hated trouser and shirt shopping, but dress shopping was exciting. Jackie had lingered for a bit and asked, "What's he got against pears?" Rose laughed and shrugged her shoulder,

"Dunno. I once asked him if he wanted a pear with the soup I was making, and he freaked out. Started mumbling about how awful they are and how they do nothing for the environment." Jackie nodded,

"He's a weird one, that Doctor of yours. It's still a little odd to see him. All.. different." Jackie sighed and pulled back, looking over at the Doctor. As she did she created a gap in the curtain that Rose could see through. He was sitting in a fluffy chair, his eyes on his sonic screwdriver. He turned it on and scanned the couch, looking bored. She could hear the soft hum from where they were standing. When he looked back at it there was a frown of confusion casting over his features. "What? But that's not possible, you're only found on Dismuck. I wonder.." He sounded interested now, and suddenly he shot up like a bullet and was crouching in front of the leather-looking chair. Without hesitation, he took a long, wet lick of the chair. He put his tongue back in his mouth and smacked his lips together in concentration. "You are made of Carotine leather. But how you got on Earth is a mystery in deed.." His eyes had brightened and he was smiling, searching for something in his pockets. Rose smiled softly, kindly, "He's still the same man," She had said, "Just.. Different. And honestly, I like him better this way; He's kinder, sweeter. He says nice things to me, and we'll flirt with each other.. He's just a better person in my eyes." Jackie nodded, understanding her daughter completely. Jackie had then put on a smile and said,

"Well, try that one on. Then come out and let me have a look."

That had been six dresses ago, and already Rose was in a fit of frustration. Her mother had insisted on waiting until Rose had a dress to go looking for herself, and she hadn't gotten the Doctor out of that suit yet. She sighed and took a long, deep breath. Jackie was standing outside the door by the Doctor, tapping her foot,

"Come on Rose!" She shouted, "I wonna see you in it." Rose cringed,

"I look weird," She insisted, poking her sides where the dress hung loosely, "I think it's too big." Jackie scoffed,

"I'll be the judge of that Come out and le'me see you." Rose wined,

"I look fat. I'm just gonna take it off." After shrugging off the dress and hanging it back on a rack in the dressing room, Rose opened the door and came out, feeling defeated,

"Can't I just help _you_ find a dress?" Rose asked desperately. Jackie shook her head,

"Not until you're done!" Rose pouted out her lip. She hadn't found one dress that fit her well and was pretty. She was just about to pester her mother some more when she saw it; A beautiful yellow dress that would most likely end up a bit above her knee. It had no straps and a nice front for her breasts. She walked slowly towards it, running her fingers through the fabric. It was soft and cool. She checked for her size and lifted it from the hook, dashing into the dressing room. She pulled off her clothes and slipped on the dress. Instantly she felt a jolt of happiness. This was the one. This was her dress! She stepped out of the dressing room and leaned up against the door frame, waiting for her mother and the Doctor to look up. When they did Jackie shrieked, happiness etched on her face. The Doctor's reaction, however, was much different. His mouth dropped open slightly, his eyes widening ever so slightly and his eyebrows skyrocketing into his hairline. When he met her eyes he closed his mouth, color rising in his cheeks. Rose smiled and walked in front of the mirror, spinning so the dress fanned out. She giggled.

"Oh sweetheart you're _beautiful_," Jackie exclaimed. "Absolutely stunning." Rose giggled again,

"Thanks mum," Rose said happily. The Doctor's eyes still looked like saucers,

"You're so beautiful," He said slowly, as if trying to control his response. Rose's smile widened.

"Thank you Doctor. Now I don't suppose I can help you pick out something, yeah? Mum, check this out please. I'm gonna dress up Ken here and we'll meet you when you find what you want." Jackie mumbled an "Okay" and rushed towards the dresses in her size, grabbing two at a time. Rose laughed out loud,

"Mum, how are you supposed to check out a dress if I'm in it?" Jackie looked up, finally noticing Rose's existence,

"Oh. Right." Rose rolled her eyes and bit her lip, holding back a laugh she'd very much like to let escape. "I'll be right back, okay?" Rose said, looking at the Doctor. He nodded his head and she slipped past him, entering the dressing room once again. As she was slipping out of that wonderful dress and back into her streets, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the Doctor's response to her. _"You look so beautiful,"_ He had said. Rose's stomach filled with butterflies, but she pushed them aside, mind going back to the task at hand. When she emerged some minutes later, Jackie was waiting outside the door along with the Doctor. Rose handed her the dress and she smiled at Rose before heading to the check out counter to purchase the dress. Rose smiled at the Doctor, her tongue poking out between her teeth; A special smile only for the Doctor.

"You ready to be my perfect model?" Rose asked cheekily. The Doctor's face tinged with embarrassment, but that didn't phase his flirty manner,  
"Oh more than ever Rose. After playing dress up for that long, you sure you can handle being my personal dresser?" Rose blushed a bit, knowing exactly what he was implying, but smiled anyway saying,

"Of course. I like that side better anyway." The Doctor smiled broadly and offered her his hand. She took it without hesitation and let him lead her to the men's apparel. Suddenly surrounded by tuxes, Rose was uncertain what the Doctor should wear. Should he go with classic black, or maybe something a bit more colorful? A bow tie or regular tie? She chuckled softly when her eyes fell upon a jacket with tails. Her hand moved deliberately towards the jacket, her fingers twisting into the fabric. The Doctor groaned,

"You're not seriously going to make me wear that are you?" He wined. Rose laughed out loud that time. She took it off the rack and held it up to the Doctor. It didn't seem his style-or the right size-but Rose thought she should have him put it on out of spite. She put it back and shook her head, smiling at the way his face muscles softened into a relived expression. Suddenly a white tux with a black undershirt caught her eye. She moved towards it, pulling it off the rack and holding it up to the Doctor. Her features brightened, and she held it back in front of him, indicating she wanted him to take it. The Doctor looked unsure, an eyebrow raised and the only indication of a smirk on the corner of his lips, instead of a full out grin like he normally wore. Rose pouted,

"Come _on_," Rose begged, shoving it into his chest, "You'll look handsome. Now let me see if I can find the matching trousers.." It didn't take long for her to find them. When she did, she thrust them into the Doctor's arms and turned him around, shoving him into a dressing room. "If you don't like it I don't care. Come out so I can see it!" Rose turned her eyes away from the changing room door, her brown eyes searching for her mother. When she didn't see her, she sighed. "I'm gonna go find my mum Doctor. When I come back I fully expect you dressed in that tux, you hear me?" She was playful but firm. She desperately wanted to see how he looked in that tux. She turned away from the Doctor and was about to leave when she heard the Doctor say,

"And what if it doesn't fit?." He wined. Rose giggled,

"Not my fault you're so skinny. I offer you chips all the time and you never except.." She didn't get to hear the Doctor's response; She rushed after her mum, desperate to find her so they could look upon the Doctor together.

She found her in the shoe department, thankful it was right next to men's apparel. Her mother was in a beautiful red gown and was trying on red shoes to match. She'd never seen her mother so beautiful. She gasped,

"Mum, you look gorgeous!." Jackie Tyler beamed,

"Thank you sweetheart. You're gonna be beautiful tonight." Rose smiled.

"I've got the Doctor in the changing room putting on a white tux. It's the first one he's tried on. Thought you might want to come and see?" Jackie nodded and followed her daughter on clumsy feet; It had been a while since Jackie had worn heels. When they arrived at the appropriate door, Rose knocked. Rose heard, rather than saw, the Doctor jump. She laughed,

"All right in there?" It was quiet for a while before the Doctor said,

"Yup," the Doctor replied, popping the 'p'. Rose smiled. She loved it when he did that, "I'm actually done now." Jackie rolled her eyes at the Doctor's obvious shyness, but Rose smiled. She liked that the Doctor was bashful about showing her what he looked like in something other than pinstriped suits and leather jackets. Jackie sighed, obviously wanting the Doctor to come out so she could see him and stop being so bloody timid.

"Well come out Doctor, we haven't got all day." The Doctor sighed loudly and exited the changing room. The first thing Rose noticed was that his hair was sticking up in more varied places than usual. She knew it was due to nervousness; He had a habit of running his fingers through his hair when he was scared or embarrassed or even angry. Next, her eyes trailed down to the jacket and shirt of the tux. He wasn't wearing any sort of tie-she'd forgotten to pick one out-and his thin torso fit the shirt perfectly. Thank God they had the smallest size, the next one up would have definitely been too big. Then she moved down to his trousers. They were a perfect fit. Everything was perfect about him until she got to the trainers he still wore. She chuckled. The Doctor visibly winced and she felt bad, even though she was laughing at his shoe attire rather than the way he looked.

"There wasn't a mirror in there, so I might have buttoned up the jacket wrong. Although I don't think I did; Fairly certain I didn't. In case I did though, I want you to know the reason why. I'm not a git, I know which buttons to-" He stopped abruptly, hand tugging on his ear lobe, eyes narrowing in confusions and something that looked a bit like disappointment. "You're staring." He stated. "You're staring, you're both staring. Is it good staring or bad staring? Do I really look that bad?" The Doctor asked, a hint of something in his voice Rose had never heard before; Insecurity. Rose shook her head,

"No," She began breathlessly, "You look-" But she was cut off by Jackie nonchalantly saying,

"Sexy. You look really hot Doctor." Rose was surprised at her mother's sudden outburst. All though she had to agree. The Doctor did look _very_ sexy.  
"Well I don't think you need to try anything else on, that's obviously a keeper," Rose said happily. He arched an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips,

"Oh really?" The Doctor asked boldly, all nervousness gone, replaced by his flirty self. He began to walk towards the large body length mirror, "Do I really look-" When he got to the mirror he stopped talking, gazing at his reflection. He stepped closer and looked at his mirror image with something Rose could only describe as interest. "Oh. I look good in white." Rose chuckled as the last drop of his shyness drained away and the Doctor turned into his normal, cocky, fun and flirty person. Jackie turned abruptly to Rose and asked,

"Do you want to try on shoes sweetheart?" Rose shook her head,

"You can just pick out a pair for me. Just make sure they're walkable mum, I don't want to be wobbling about like a fish out'a water." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Yellow and nude are except able colors." Jackie raised her eyebrows but made no further comment. She turned and left, her dress skirting after her. The Doctor seemed to just notice she was wearing something other than her streets,

"Oh, your mum's wearing a dress." He seemed dazed, as if he had just been dashed in cool water. It was quiet for a moment before he said, "She looks nice. Very nice." Rose raised her eyebrow. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was flirting. But she did, and she knew that he would never flirt with her mother. Plus, her mum wasn't interested in the Doctor. Maybe the last him, but not this him. In fact, now that she thought about it, the old Doctor might have even given in to the Tyler charm and pursued her mother. She shuddered at the realization that he mother and the past Doctor would make a great couple. The Doctor seemed to snap out of his trance,

"So I should probably get out o' this thing," He said, his Scottish accent thick and heavy, tickling her ears,

"Yup." Rose said, popping the 'p' in a perfect imitation of the Doctor's habitual phrase. He grinned at her,

"Alright then. I'll get to it," He turned from her to give himself one last, fleeting glance and approaches the dressing room door. Before he goes in though, Rose begins to chuckle. The Doctor stops abruptly, turning to look at her. Her chaste chuckle turns into a full out laugh when the Doctor looks at her, confused but with an ounce of mirth, "What's so funny Miss Tyler?" He wants to know. Rose laughs, feeling tears begin to spring forth in her eyes,

"You," She manages to get out, gasping for breath, "You're the most vain alien I've ever met. Have to keep looking like you're the sexiest thing in the world.." She trails off and chuckles harder at his reaction; His eyes hooded, his mouth slightly ajar. He recovers and smiles at her,

"How have you not gotten this yet Rose? I _am_ the sexiest thing in the world." Rose laughed harder, eyes dancing. "Apart from a good banana of course." Rose's eyes twinkled in amusement, not able to stop the onslaught of laughter that was threatening to choke her. Then his features became softer, "However, I'll be even sexier walking into a party with a certain Rose Tyler on my arm." Rose blushed but giggled as well, happy the Doctor thought her more attractive than a piece of fruit.

The Doctor changed clothes and left the changing room to stand by Rose's side. She was just about to suggest they sit down somewhere when an eager Jackie Tyler came bustling up the isle towards them, a smile displayed on her features, "Rose! I just bought my dress; It's red. A bit like the one you saw, only different. I got red shoes to match as well." She pauses and calms down, "Sorry you didn't get to help me pick one out. I know you love that." Rose smiled and waved her hand,

"It's all right mum. So will Howard be joining us?" Jackie smiled and giggled like a school girl, surprising not only her but the Doctor as well ,

"Yes. The car Todd is sending to pick us up will stop but his home as well." Rose smiled. She was happy her mother was finally putting herself out there. Howard was kind, funny, and really cared about her mother. Having met her father only two years past, she wasn't surprised that he mother hadn't wanted to move on. But Howard made her happy, and when her mother was happy, she was happy. Rose looked at her watch; 11:36. She looked up at her mother,

"We should probably get going. Nail appointment at 12:15 and all," She turned to the Doctor, "And what will you do while we're out?" The Doctor smiled cheekily,

"I don't know. I think I can find something to occupy my time. Probably work a way to make landings in the TARDIS more smooth." Rose smiled but Jackie scowled,

"Oh no you don't Alien boy." Jackie exclaimed. The Doctor grimaced, looking at Jackie like she were gum stuck on the bottom of his shoe.

"You can't tell me what to do," He said bravely, crossing his arms and looking away, a pouty expression on his face. Jackie's eyes bulged,

"Excuse me?" His eyes squeezed shut, afraid she might slap him, which made Rose giggle. She clamped a hand on her mouth, afraid the Doctor would be upset if he knew she was laughing at him. He didn't seem to notice. He was too preoccupied with a different Tyler, who was currently staring at him as if he were a gazelle and she a tiger. She bit her lip to stifle a laugh.

"There will be no tinkering for you until this party is over. You could hook up two wires or tie things together and end up throwing yourself into space." The Doctor retaliated,

"I think I know my own ship, thank you very much," He said a bit defensively. Jackie knew she hit a mark and delved deeper,

"Which is supposed to be operated by six people at a time. Rose told me you failed your exam." The Doctor-finally realizing Rose's presence-looked to her and wined,

"Rose! I told you that in total privacy!" His accent spiked on the last word and Rose giggled. She loved his accent. Somehow just him speaking and letting his Scottish accent kick in was enough to get her wet. She groaned. She certainly wasn't going to have those thoughts while he was only inches away from her. He could smell better than humans. In fact, all the five senses are heightened for Time Lords. At least that's what he'd told her.

She loved learning about his race. She was so awed how someone so human looking could be so different from one. Her mind trailed to his double hearts and she smiled. The fact that he had two hearts was quite mesmerizing. She liked it when they shared a bed together and Rose would lay against him, her ear against his chest listening to the dual thumping. When she heard a wining noise she gave her mother and the Doctor her full attention. His jutting lip that indicated pouting was replaced with a look of pure distress. Like he just saw someone get hit by a car.

"Oh no Jackie Tyler that will never happen. Not in this life time." Rose was puzzled. The Doctor seemed-dar she say it-frightend. What was going on? The Doctor looked to Rose, his pouty face back. She was staring to think he knew that she thought he looked incredibly sexy when he pouted. Like puppy dog eyes, only with his whole, handsome face,

"Rose, dont let your mum _do_ it to me. It's not fair!" Now Rose was extremely lost. Her eyebrows shot to her hairline,  
"What? I wasn't paying attention." The Doctor wasted no time in getting her up to speed,

"She wants to slick back my _hair_. My hair Rose. I like my hair _spiky_." He sounded like a child that just got their favorite toy taken away. Rose couldn't stop herself from letting out a little giggle. The Doctor looked away, blushing and grumbled,

" 'S not funny.." Rose looked at her watch and sighed. They _really_ needed to go if they wanted to get to the Nail Palace and she didn't want to be late. She felt so odd, getting her nails done and buying expensive clothing. She was going to pay, but the Doctor insisted they use the Sonic Screwdriver. At first she had refused; She was a Tyler, and she had her pride. But he had told her that she had always paid for chips when there wasn't a cash machine in sight and he wanted to do something nice for her. She hadn't liked it, but Jackie had heard him out - after all it wasn't really anyone's money - and agreed. And if her mum agreed, so did Rose.

"We really do need to get going mum," Rose said, wanting the awkward tension between the Doctor and her mother to end. Jackie finally realized Rose's presence and nodded. She pointed at the Doctor and said forcefully,

"Go buy that tux and get moving. And NO tinkering in that ship of yours." The Doctor scowled but stopped at Jackie's face. Jackie began to walk off towards the exit, a grin on her face. "Come on Rose!" She shouted over her shoulder. She turned towards the door but the Doctor grabbed her arm and spun her around,

"What am I supposed to do while you're gone Rose?" He asked, eyes pleading. She knew he couldn't stand being away from the TARDIS. It wasn't just about going off into the universe and traveling through time and space, it was about seeing her, talking to her. She knew he wouldn't admit it-or just maybe he might-but he missed her. And Rose thought she missed the TARDIS too. Even though they couldn't speak to each other like the TARDIS and the Doctor could, she would hum at Rose and lead her to rooms and through doors that were so beautiful. She was the greatest ship in the universe, and even though she ached to be back inside of her, she was going to have to wait until her and the Doctor were ready to go,

"Watch some telly. It will keep your mind off the TARDIS." He wined,

"But what would I watch?" He asked. Rose sighed,

"I don't know, find something in my mum's video section, yeah? Well I'm off, we might not be back for an hour and a half. Two tops." The Doctor nodded and she walked towards the exit. She was nearly there when she heard his accent lingered after her,

"Rose?" She turned,

"Yes?" She asked. The Doctor reached into his pocket and withdrew the Sonic Screwdriver, then threw it to her. She caught it in her palms, looking at it with interest, then to him in confusion. He smiled,

"For the money machine." She nodded in realization and put it in her pocket.

"Try not to get into too much trouble," She added behind her shoulder, waving a hand at her companion with the arm she didn't use to open the door. Rose closed her eyes as she breathed in the cool, Christmas air. It was such a joy to be back with her mother again. After her and the Doctor's encounter with the Silurian she had wanted nothing more than to go strait back home and hide in her room. But she didn't. She insisted she was fine every time the Doctor asked her. She hadn't wanted the Doctor to know that she was scared.

They had traveled through time and space for three years now and Rose had not once been afraid. Sure, there was that fear that you may not get out alive, but she could always manage it. She was never so scared that she zoned out and became deadweight to the Doctor. Her knees were shaking, her hands quaking, and she couldn't hear the Doctor when he called for her. She had felt like a child; A defenseless infant who didn't know any better. She knew the Doctor had been disappointed with her. He was trying to save people, asking for her help, and she froze. She felt so useless.

She opened her eyes to find her mum standing beside her. She flashed her mother a fake smile and walked beside her, following her down the road but not really paying attention to where she was going. She pushed away her insecure thoughts and focused on thoughts of the Doctor. Of how she wanted to know what his lips feel like-when she wasn't being possessed by a skin trampoline-what it would be like to stroke his hair, and other appendages. She wanted so desperately to be with him. But if this was all he could give her-a friend to share a life with, to care for like family-then she'd take it. Because Sarah Jane was right; Some people are worth getting your heart broken for.


	5. Chapter 5

_She touches his shoulder with her free hand. He doesn't respond. She gently turns his face towards her, finding it rimmed with frost. He seems to be sleeping peacefully. But she knows better, she knows that he's dead. All hope, will, and spirit leaves her. She looks out towards the icy waters at the boat. It's further away now, the voices growing fainter and fainter with each passing second. She watches them go, closes her eyes. She is so weak, every fiber in her being is telling her to shut down, to let go. Without him, there is no reason left to live, to try, to keep going. And then.. Her eyes snap open._

_She raises her head suddenly, violently, cracking the ice as she wrenches her hair off the wood. She tries to call out, but no one hears her. The boat is barely visible now, the torch a bright star impossibly far away. She struggles to draw a breath, calling out again. She endeavors to move, but for some reason can't. Looking down at her hand, she realizes, it is frozen solid to her lover's. She breaths on it, melting the ice a bit, and gingerly unclasps their hands. In doing so, she removes a bit of skin on her palm, but can't feel it due to the numbness the freezing temperatures are causing._

_She says goodbye to her deceased lover and moves fast, her only objective to get to that small little piece of metal sticking out, a beacon during a fierce storm. She makes it to it and pulls it's cool surface to her lips, blowing with all the strength she has. The sound pierces through the night air, for all to hear._

The Doctor's eyes were surprisingly moist. He couldn't believe he had ever made fun of people for watching the Titanic; It was wonderful, extraordinary. He somehow found himself in a line of questioning. Why did Jack have to leave Rose? They both could have fit on that door. All he had to do was position himself right and they both could have survived. Stupid men, not using their brains when a woman was in danger. How could two people become helplessly in love after a mere few days? He supposed that he felt the same way about Rose after only a few days, but they had been companions. They had gone through dangers together. He had discovered things no one knew about her. Things she didn't even know herself.

He had known that Rose felt something for him for a while now. Maybe it wasn't love-he really hoped it was-but she felt _something_. He could smell it on her; The pheromones her body would produce involuntarily when their hugs lasted a bit long, or when for some odd reason his shirt would be slightly unbuttoned or even off. She would try to hide it, had even bolted from the room once and left him feeling confused and insecure, but still it continued. Maybe it was all in his head, just a physical attraction. But he hoped, prayed, with both of his hearts that it was love. He wanted her so desperately sometimes it pained him. He began to harden at the thoughts of Rose and blushed, ashamed. He shouldn't be getting hard by the mere thought of her. This body was extremely hormonal. He sighed, pushing away all thoughts of Rose and focused on the _other_ Rose, the Rose onscreen who he was guessing was right about to be saved. If it hadn't been for the elderly Rose who popped up occasionally in the movie, he would have banked on the idea the Rose was about to die.

_ "Row! That way! Pull!" Rose continues to blow the whistle, not caring that it pierces through her body and burns her throat. The boat nears her, but she will not stop blowing. She will never stop blowing until she is on the boat; and even then the other passengers might have to pry it from her fingers. The image changed as Rose was brought aboard the small vessle. The older Rose spoke, "Fifteen hundred people went into the sea when Titanic sank from under us. There were twenty boats floating nearby and only one came back. One. Six were saved from the water, myself included. Six. Out of fifteen hundred."_

A tear ran down his cheek and he wiped it away, now thoroughly confused at his body's reaction. He didn't cry; He was a Time Lord. He guessed this movie was as sad as they say it is. Or maybe it was because he kept comparing this movie to his own life, with his Rose. Well, hopefully someday his Rose.

* * *

The polish they had applied to her toes had been chosen after ten minutes of searching. Her mother had wanted black. "It would look so good with your dress and shoes," She had insisted. But Rose would not have it. She wanted her nails blue, but not just any blue. A TARDIS blue. After looking through several blues Rose still wasn't convinced. The Korean woman had been annoyed, she knew, but never the less she helped Rose find the perfect blue. When they did find it, it surprisingly mimicked the TARDIS's beautiful color and matched her yellow dress. She had wanted to paint her fingernails the same color, but at that request her mother had put her foot down. She insisted that her nails be Frenched tipped with no color, and she complied, although with a pouty lip and puppy dog eyes.

At the moment, her painted feet were being soaked in warm bubbly water, the polish dried. Jackie was flipping through a magazine, though nothing was obviously keeping her attention. She sighed and shut the magazine, throwing it down on the pile with the others in defeat,

"David Letterman is having an affair. Do I really care about that? This country hasn't had a good scandal in ages." Rose sighed and shut her eyes, trying to focus on the warm water surrounding her toes. She knew her mother was trying to start small talk before she drilled her for information about Mickey. Jackie Tyler was not a strait forward person, and she was definitely not looking forward to be grilled for information. She was so happy right now, and she didn't want to spoil that happiness. It had taken a day for her to be able to think about Mickey without crying, but talking about it? She wasn't sure if she could handle it. And if she was going to tell her mother about Mickey, she might as well confide in her about the skethers. She blushed in humiliation and turned away from her mother, wishing she could sink to the floor, go to another universe, be anywhere but here. Because when Jackie Tyler was curious about something, she got the answer. One way or the other.

"Sweetheart? What happened to Mickey?" Rose shifted in her chair uncomfortably, despite the relaxation it brought to her back due to the massage control. She decided she wasn't going to play games. No more swiveling around the subject or trying to steer the conversation somewhere else.

"Mickey decided to stay on a parallel universe," Rose said, turning her head to face her mother. Jackie's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"A parallel universe? What were you doing there?" She wanted to know. Rose sighed,

"It wasn't on purpose. It isn't supposed to happen, really. I mean, when there were millions of Time Lords they could, but with just the Doctor it shouldn't happen. We were going to go back, but the TARDIS had to reboot. There was another Mickey you see, his name was Rickey. We sorta teamed up with him, but he died by the hands of the Cybermen. Mickey decided to take his place." Jackie was thoroughly confused, staring at Rose with a confused expression,

"But how were there two Mickeys? What is a parallel universe?" Jackie asked. Rose thought for a moment, then remembered the Doctor's explanation,

"It's exactly like our universe, except there are some subtle differences. Actually, sometimes major differences," She paused, trying to think of ways to explain, "Basically it's our universe, but something small is changed. Maybe the Queen never had a child. Maybe you never married dad. Each of these changes affect the universe. If none of them ever happen, or if something does happen or changes, it creates a parallel universe." Jackie nodded in understanding.

"So there was another all of us?" Rose nodded. "Wow. Must have been funny seeing yourself." Rose looked down at her feet, suddenly interested in her blue nails,

"Actually, I didn't exist. You and dad were married; His inventions really kicked off, you guys were rich! But you never had children. You had a dog, though. A dog named Rose." Jackie's eyes widened at the news and she looked away from Rose for a minute. A beat later she turned to Rose again, and her head lifted. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment and then burst into fits of laughter. When it subsided, Rose wiped an unshed tear from her eye, "Yeah, that was the Doctor's reaction. I was a bit peeved, but I guess I can laugh at it now that it's over." There was a pregnant pause and Rose looked to her nails again, knowing what was coming next,

"So Mickey.. stayed? Why would he do that?" Rose sighed and looked up at her mother,

"Do you remember when I told you about Sarah Jane and K-9?" Jackie nodded, "Well Mickey would always say, 'I'm not the tin dog.' He always felt so.. left out. Useless. And I felt bad because I knew the Doctor and I unintentionally treated him that way. When we were battling the Cybermen, the Doctor had wanted Mickey to kinda stay by the sidelines. But he wouldn't have it. He went along with one of Rickey's followers and, in the end, it was Mickey who saved us all." Jackie bobbed her head. "Plus his gram was still alive. Can you believe it?" Jackie's eyes widened, her lips twitched up,

"Really? That's great! I'm glad he got to see her again. I'm gonna miss the little bugger though." Jackie sighed, closing her eyes. Rose looked at her fingers and twisted them together, not wanting to talk about her failure but knowing if she didn't talk to someone it was going to nag at her forever.

"There's something else," Rose said, finally looking into her mother's eyes. Jackie's empathetic look reassured her, "It's not about Mickey, it's just.. Something I need to get off my chest." Jackie nodded,

"Whenever you're ready sweetheart." Rose closed her eyes and bobbed her head, as if the action were painful. She opened and closed her mouth several times, uncertain of how to tell Jackie her daughter had messed up. She took a deep, calming breath and opened her eyes. They were glassy, filled with unshed tears, when she said,

"I screwed up mum." Jackie's warmhearted smile never faded,

"Oh sweetheart, it's not your fault. Mickey stayed on his own accord." But Rose just shook her head fiercely,

"It's not that, mum. It's something else. Something that happened before that. Before we picked up Mickey but I was too ashamed to tell you.." Jackie's eyes softened and she smiled a weak smile at Rose,

"Don't ever feel ashamed, Rose. Never. You have saved the lives of so many people.. Never, ever feel bad about yourself. Okay?" Rose just shook her head for the utmost time, not wanting to believe it,

"But you don't even know what happened," Rose said guiltily. Jackie just tutted and shrugged,

"I don't need to. Whatever happened, I'm sure you had a good reason." There was a pregnant pause after her mother's words. Could her mother be right? No, she refused to believe it. What she did was stupid and wrong, "Do you want to talk about it?" Jackie offered. Rose sighed,

"No, but I know if I don't it'll just weigh on me.." Jackie nodded and crossed her arms, determined to hear the story. But Rose was silent.

"So?" Jackie asked.

"I'm thinking where to begin," Rose said, deciding that she should start from the beginning.

"The TARDIS started malfunctioning. She was supposed to be taking us to Barcelona, the planet not the city, when she just suddenly started to jolt and we got major whiplash. She had dropped us off at Earth in 4692. There were these creatures, the skethers, and they ate children mum. The Doctor and I found where they were hiding the kids. But they knew we knew and came after us. The Doctor screamed for help, told me to grab the kids, but I froze. I froze mum. Those kids could have died and it would have been all my fault.." She paused and took a breath, not willing to let the tears fall, "But the Doctor saved them. He made sure no harm came to them and then it was over. He told me it wasn't my fault afterwords, but whose fault was it mum?" A single tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away just as fast as it had fallen. Jackie's own eyes were full of tears when she pulled her daughter into her body for a chaste hug.

"Awe it wasn't your fault sweetheart. If the Doctor didn't think you were up for it, he would have kicked you out of that blue box of his." Rose nodded, her mother's words finally sinking into her head. The Doctor had forgiven her childish actions; now it was her turn to forgive herself. She looked at her mother again and said,

"There's something else." He mum waited patiently, letting her take her time. "I love 'im mum. I don't know how, or why, but I do. I love him so much and.. and he's so oblivious. I want to tell him-have gotten quite close a couple times-but I can never bring myself to do it mum." Jackie just smiled and shook her head,

"He's thick as a dirt that Doctor of yours. I don't think he'd know you loved him even if you told him." Rose smiled at her mother, but really didn't want to further the conversation and was glad when the Korean woman came back to tell them that it was time to pay. After paying they put on their shoes and headed outside. Rose tightened her jacket around herself, the Winter chill biting her skin. She checked her watch; 2:31. They had been out far longer than she had promised the Doctor. She just hoped that he had found something to occupy himself with.

* * *

The movie had just ended when Rose and Jackie walked through the door. "Oh hello!" He called, jumping from his seat and bounding into the room after the two females, "So how was it. Oh Rose your skin looks radiant." Rose laughed, a slight blush forming on her cheeks,

"We didn't go to the spa, we went to get our nails done you nutter." He smiled at her, loving that a simple compliment could give him that wonderful smile and gorgeous blush, "But thank you," She added. The end credits had been going on for a while now, the three of them totally oblivious to the music in the background. It wasn't until Jackie actually walked into the room to sit down when she asked,

"Doctor, were you watching the Titanic?" Rose's eyes grew the size of saucers and she ran, beating him into the sitting room. He was confused by their astonishment. Was he not allowed to be interested in a romance movie?

"Yes Jackie, I was watching the Titanic. Good movie that was. Poor Jack, died in the end, but of course you knew that. Greatest love story of all time, I see it now. Well, apart from Romeo and Juliet I suppose." Jackie rolled her eyes at his babbling, not even pretending to not be annoyed. The Doctor huffed and sat down beside Jackie. He was surprisingly tired, considering he didn't sleep all that often. He suddenly regretted telling Rose he'd go to her uncle's Christmas party. Although he rather liked parties, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stay awake through it. Best not to think about that though. He was looking forward to the food. Jackie had said the one year they had a whole table full of nibbles. He loved nibbles.

"So Doctor, you're a fan of Titanic now?" Jackie asked him, that smile on her lips that he hated; A smile that indicated she knew something he didn't. He loathed the fact that Jackie Tyler knew something he was totally oblivious to.

"Not really no. Well, in a sort. Mmm.. kind of. It just doesn't seem fair, you know? God they share more love in a few days than most people do in their whole lives.. And then he's gone. And she's left all alone in the world with no way of ever seeing him again and she wishes she could but she just.. Can't." His sad, distant voice changed into himself when he added, "Loved the ending though. Brilliant! All up in Heaven waiting for her; Wasn't that romantic?" There was a pregnant pause, which Rose broke by asking,

"I'm gonna go make a cuppa. You want anything mum, Doctor?"

"I'll take a cuppa thanks sweetheart," Jackie said, nodding her head and smiling. Rose looked to the Doctor in question,  
"None for me, thanks Rose," He said, smiling quickly as to not worry her. She bounced out of the room and into the kitchen. If the clinks and clanks were any indication, the Doctor guessed she was in search of a pot. He turned all his attention on Jackie. She was still wearing that smirk. God he despised that smirk.

"So Doctor; Did you really not like the movie, or did you just not like how much it reminded you of yourself and Rose?" The Doctor-now understanding the reason for the smirk-looked down at his trainers and back up at Jackie Tyler,

"I guess I'd have to choose the latter," He replied wistfully, the last word accented by his Scottish oriented pronunciation. There was no point in lying to Jackie Tyler; She was like the bloodhound of lies. Jackie sighed,

"Did I ever tell you how Pete and I got together?" The Doctor's eyebrows rose in astonishment. This was definitely not what he expected. He shook his head no, at a loss for words. "My friend Jolene had told me there was a man that worked at this chippy shop we went to almost everyday after work that fancied me. She said I should go up and introduce myself to him. But I really didn't want to. It wasn't like I expected him to be a bad bloke or anything. I had just gotten out of a bad relationship and Jolene thought putting myself back out there would help. It was the opposite that I wanted. I just wanted to be on my own for a bit, but she was so annoying I finally gave in and went to talk to him. But when I did he all but told me I was wasting my time and that we could never be together." Jackie paused, sighing at the memory, "I remember being so upset. It wasn't the fact that he rejected me; It was the fact that Jolene had told me he fancied me, but when he finally met me he all but threw me in the dust. I thought maybe it was because he thought I was pretty, but now that he'd met me he wanted as far away from me as possible. A few days past, and I avoided that chippy, too embarrassed to show my face in that place again. When Jolene asked to meet there after work, I couldn't say no. I didn't want to seem like a coward. So I went, and there he was, just like always. When he saw me though, he all but dove under the counter to hide from me. God I was so embarrassed, even though nobody knew anything about it." She paused again, obviously trying to think of where to pick up. The Doctor waited patiently for Jackie to take her time, but after several minutes he grew impatient. He wanted to know what this story had to due with Rose.

"So what happened next?" The Doctor asked with interest. Jackie picked up right where she left off.

"Jolene and I got some chips and began eating, talking about our jobs and catching each other up on what had been going on in the other's life, when suddenly she got a phone call. It was an emergency you see, and she got up and bolted, yelling a, 'Sorry, gotta run!' over her shoulder. I had sighed and finished eating the chips on my own. I layed some money on the table and got up to leave when that man came over to me. I had blushed and was right about to tell him to go away when he said these exact words, 'I'm sorry I said no to you yesterday. I don't want anything serious to happen between us because we can't be together.' I had been so confused, I had no idea what he was talking about. But I wanted to understand because it didn't seem fair not to even give me a chance." Jackie's eyes were kind when she said, "Pete had cancer when we met. He didn't tell me, but after some getting to know each other in the chippy, he asked me out. We went out a few times, and just when things were beginning to get serious he tells me he has cancer. But I stayed with him. I stayed by his side through the agonizing months, not sure if I could survive without him. Because what was the point in falling in love if he'd be taken away from me in the blink of an eye?" The Doctor gulped, finally making the connection. "But a few days before he was supposed to go into a surgery which would most likely in no way help him and could quite possibly kill him, I told Pete that I loved him for the first time. And he said it right back to me. And I said, 'Pete, if you are taken from me during that surgery, I will love you forever no matter what. I will never forget you. You will be in my heart, forever and always. And even though we haven't gotten to spend much time together, that's okay. Because you would be worth ever second of the heartbreak I'll be in for.' And he was. And when he went into that surgery, he came back out alive. What's more, he came out cancer free. The doctors couldn't even explain it." Jackie stopped and looked the Doctor strait in the eye, "And that was when I knew that God gave us a second chance. He gave us a few more wonderful years before he was taken from me. I was heart broken, but like I had told him all those years ago, he was definitely worth it. Do you get what I'm trying to drill into that impossibly thick head of yours Doctor?" The Doctor nodded, understanding her completely. Because Jackie was exactly right; If he was in love, he should act on it.

Holding it in was only going to make things worse and if he tried to fight it he'd only hurt himself. Because in truth, he loved Rose Tyler. More than that, he wanted to make her his Bond Mate. Such a sacred thing, to be Bond Mates, and yet he wanted that with Rose, even if it isn't possible to Bond with a human. He wanted it so bad that it scared him. Rose was absolutely worth the pain and heartbreak he was eventually going to experience when she was gone, and he couldn't believe it had taken him this long to figure that out. More so, he couldn't believe it was Jackie Tyler who had knocked the sense into him. His eyes flew up to Rose as she walked into the room and his breath caught in his throat, afraid she had heard them. But Jackie had been almost whispering, so how could she? She didn't seem to, considering she handed her mother her tea and held her own cup in between her hands, not speaking of what they had just said. Rose blew over the surface before taking a sip. There was a long silence, broken by Rose,

"I can't believe you guys can't have a conversation without me in the room. Honestly, it's like you're children. I was in there for a good seven to eight minutes and what do you do? Sit in here and stare at each other like complete gits." She took another sip of her tea, causing the Doctor to smile in triumph. She was showing definite sighs of fatigue, had been since she walked through the door yawning. Rose had downed her cup easily and sat next to the Doctor, pushing at his thighs with her hand, indicating he scoot over. When he did she plopped down next to him and buried her head into the crook that was formed in his arm due to it being draped across the chair. She sighed and snuggled into his chest. She was tired, he knew, and he touched her temple, taking her into a dreamless sleep. He wrapped his other arm limply around her waist, scooting into a more comfortable position despite the fact the the couch just wan't very comfortable. Jackie stood and looked at her watch, "You've got two hours alien boy. Then you both need up, okay? I'm gonna go have a quick shower. Be back in a tick." The Doctor nodded, not really paying attention to Jackie. All his attention was on the sleeping figure of Rose, so beautiful in slumber. He reached his arm that wasn't around her waist and stroked her hair. She sighed contently in her sleep, making the Doctor smile genuinely. He wouldn't fall asleep, no. He was going to watch Rose sleep, stroke her back whilst her mind was off in dream land. He couldn't think of anything else in the world that could further occupy him than this.


	6. Chapter 6

"Doctor come on, you've been in there for thirty minutes!" Rose exclaimed, leaning against the bathroom door and sighing. It hadn't been the shower that was taking up all this time; He had taken his in about seven minutes. What was taking up so much of their precious, already dwindled time was the Doctor and his ever so precious hair. The door began to open and she stepped away, allowing the Doctor's body to be shown through a crack in between the door and the doorframe. His hair looked the same as usual-maybe with a little less spike-but he wasn't wearing any clothing. His towel was wrapped loosely around his hips, being held up by one hand. The other was around the doorframe.

"Sorry Rose. Had to fix up my hair. Took me a _really_ long time to get it to spike today. I think there's something wrong with your shower." Rose laughed heartily, causing the Doctor to frown in confusion. Rose's gaze trailed down from his eyes to the broad planes of his chest. The muscles were wiry, but strong. The hair on his navel seemed to be forcing her gaze upon it. God how she wanted to put her hands in the hair, especially the curls just a bit lower. She gulped, ripping her eyes from his body so he wouldn't notice her staring. The silence was deafening. "All your, then," He said, stepping aside and allowing her entry. She scrambled inside the bathroom, not quick enough to show her urgency but still, quicker than necessary. She saw the Doctor's eyebrows skyrocket, but thankfully he didn't comment.

Slowly she edged towards the sink. The mirror was a bit fogged from steam but still, she was able to make out her own shape through the mist. Her hair had grown longer; She hadn't bothered to get a hair cut as much as she used to. It was about six inches longer in fact, past her shoulders now. Her roots were coming in again. She liked it when they did though; The brown in her scalp matched the blonde dye well. As long as she didn't leave it go for too long, she didn't have to color her hair for several weeks after her roots came in.

Her mind wandered to the time the Doctor had taken her to Dorsett, A small city in a not very large planet, the residents were mostly female. The city was covered in small shops and nail salons, hair places and shoe stores. They were humanoid, except their skin changed color when their emotions changed. When she first saw it happen-a young girl was screaming at a little boy, her skin a deep red-Rose's eyes had widened in shock and she squealed, hiding behind the Doctor. He loved little shops, and upon spotting a hair stylist, he asked if she needed her hair done. She accepted and took some money his sonic screwdriver had made to pay for the coloring. She had been nervous, but with their wide variety of colors Rose picked out the color that most resembled the dye she used.

When her hair was done and ready to have the towel taken off, she called the Doctor in for the unveiling. The woman took off the towel and screamed; Her hair was yellow! The Doctor, laughing uncontrollably, didn't notice when Rose picked up a brush and began to beat him with it. Once the shock subsided, he laughed and she laughed and Rose forgave him. But she would never have her hair colored off world again.

She grabbed her long strands in her fist and alternated between up and down. Maybe she should keep it up? Curl it into a twisted bun? She decided to let her mum play around with it, let her choose. She stripped out of her clothing and hopped in the shower. The water was calm and inviting, but Rose knew her time was running out. The limo would be here in 45 minutes and, knowing her mother, she'd probably planned to do her hair in some special way that would take forever. She squirted shampoo in her palms and rubbed them together, then lathered it into her scalp. She rinsed and repeated with the conditioner, and six minutes later she was bounding out of the shower, shrugging on her dressing gown, and heading across the small flat to her bedroom. She really shouldn't have fallen asleep; She was out for far too long. When she awoke her head had fallen into the Doctor's lap; he was stroking her hair. She had turned over to face him and he stopped his ministrations, blushing. Rose has smiled and laughed heartily, then took his hand in hers, brought it to her lips, and kissed it. She wasn't sure where she got the nerve, but nevertheless, she hadn't hesitated. He smiled shyly and his blush grew, but he did the same to her; Bringing her hand to his lips and planting a gentle peck on every knuckle. She wanted those lips to touch somewhere else on her body, and she was sure he was thinking the same thing. His face had ever so slightly leaned closer to her's, her neck craned to be just a bit nearer to his lips, and then he pulled away. She had blushed fiercely, flushed with the disbelief that she almost kissed him and embarrassment when he didn't. She sighed and entered her room, not even thinking that the Doctor could quite possibly be starkers. But he wasn't. He was looking into the mirror intently, his fingers struggling to tie the bow tie around his neck. Rose smiled softly at the sight he made; A 903 year old Time Lord who couldn't tie a bow tie. Finally, after several agonizing seconds, he turned to her with a pleading look in his eyes that made Rose giggle. She stepped towards the Doctor, swatting his hands away from the loose fabric and tying it herself. It came out in a perfect bow. The Doctor stepped towards the mirror and looked in, his lips twitching into the wonderfully childish grin she'd learned to love so much.

"Awe Rose, you're brilliant you are!" He turned sideways, looking into the mirror and surveying his body intently. When he looked back at her again she was smiling with complete and utter joy. She took the few steps left in between them in one stride, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing around his middle. He hugged her back and she sighed, breathing in his scent. She loved the way he smelled; Even after a shower he still managed to smell clean and musky at the same time in a way that made Rose's knees go weak.

"Thank you. Thank you so much! I don't know what I'd do without you!" Rose exclaimed, burying her face in the soft, white fabric of the Doctor's jacket. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from him so he could look in her eyes.

"Now then, what brought this on?" He asked, his face a perfect image of confusion. Rose smiled and laughed nervously,

"I know that you don't really do domestic. It's just... With Mickey and everything else that has happened lately," The Doctor opened his mouth, most likely to comment once again how the Silurian incident was not her fault, "and I just wanted to see my family again. I don't get to do that often, and going to this stupid party is a chance to get everyone together. Besides, even if it is my family-and the whole reason I'm going is to see them-I don't think I'd be able to survive without you. So thank you. For everything." The Doctor smiled at her, his wonderful teeth showing, his cheeks puffing out in that adorable way,

"Awe, anything for you Rose. Besides, all you have to do is say the word and we're here. You know that; It's your family. It's not like you're just expected to leave them forever without a quick visit every now and again." Rose's smile faded, her tone serious when she said,

"You're all the family that I need." The words were out and Rose instantly regretted them. She had said what she had ben thinking aloud by accident, not having meant for him to hear them. It sounded so intimate, as if they were together or something. She really hoped he took it as a brotherly love and not the way she actually felt. His mouth was agape ever so slightly and his eyes contained something that seemed-no, it couldn't be-hope? She shook the thought away as quickly as it had come; The Doctor didn't love her. At least not like that. He probably felt a sort of brotherly love for her; Like the way he stood in front of her when they were facing an enemy he was actually afraid of, or how he'd beg for whatever foreign species they'd encountered to have mercy on her when she had stupidly gotten herself kidnapped. Or even how he would take her somewhere nice after they'd just finished something so horrible, like taking her to see the first production of Hamlet after the Silurian child kidnapping and bringing her home after the Cybermen and Mickey. The un-informed observer might have suspected them to be in a relationship, but she was well-informed and definitely knew better than to think the Doctor loved her. In fact, she was starting to doubt he could even fall in love with somebody. He had told her he was married before, but when he talked of his wife it didn't seem with longing or love. For his children he did, but never the woman he was married to.

The silence had gone on for far too long, so Rose said,

"Right, well go on then. Don't want you in the same room while I'm changing." It took the Doctor a beat to register her words,

"Oh, right, yeah. Okay. Off I go then." And then he was gone, out the door and into the living room she suspected. Rose sighed and held the yellow dress in front of her face, examining the fabric as if to make sure it were real. The whole situation seemed surreal; her dressing up and going to a party, the Doctor coming with her, doing domestic. It had been so long since Rose had seen her extended family that she doubted they would recognize her. And even though she loved her family deeply, she wasn't sure how long she could stay in one place without going mad. For the Doctor even more so.

She sighed, beginning to shuck of her clothing and pull the dress over her head. When she looked in the mirror she was surprised that she looked so good without a stitch of makeup on. A smile began to play on her lips as she realized this could be an opportunity; Maybe this was her chance to finally tell the Doctor how she felt about him. Maybe she wasn't the most comfortable in a dress, but her courage did seem to spark whenever she knew she looked gorgeous. her smile grew at the thought of a potential relationship with the Doctor. He was, after all, the man of her dreams.

* * *

The Doctor sat on the edge of the table, the corner injecting itself slightly into his rear, but he didn't seem to notice. He wondered if Rose was planning on telling her family the truth about their 'travels.' He was certain Jackie had made an excuse for her absence-possibly said she had gone traveling, went abroad with a friend, ran away with a strange man she just met-but either way he knew whatever Jackie told them probably contained a portion of the truth. Jackie Tyler may be a frightening woman, but a lier she was not. He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and began to pace around the room. He'd do this for Rose, but as soon as this party was over and she had another night with her mother, they were leaving. He couldn't stand being in one place. Maybe if they were somewhere nice, like Woman Wept, Raxicoricofallapatorius-the residents might be terrifying, but the planet was actually quite beautiful-or even Earth in another time period. But her time was just so _boring_. _Maybe after all of this is over_, he thought, _I'll take her into the past; Somewhere nice_. Maybe even aboard the Titanic. Yes, that's what he'll do. Hearing the sound of her door he turned, excited to suggest boarding the luxury liner for their next adventure, when he saw her.

Somehow seeing her now, she looked even more beautiful than the first time he saw her in it. Maybe because she had taken careful attention to herself; shaving and rubbing lotion on her legs, washing her face, getting her nails done. The dress wasn't overly revealing; It had no straps, was only held up by her breasts, and had a small gap in between that exposed beautifully pink and yellow human flesh. The dress itself wasn't overly long, but down the back was thin, loose yellow fabric that made her long legs look even more so. Her pumps had a peep toe, and through the slit he could see a dark blue that looked oddly familiar. She was a Goddess. The breath left his throat when she smiled cheekily at him, her beautiful pink tongue poking in between her teeth, and did a little spin. The fabric clung to her form in doing so, the loose sides fluttering behind her in a beautiful twirl. His hips hitched and he sucked in a large amount of air, hoping Rose didn't notice. She may not be aware of his irregular breathing, but he was certain her eyes just might venture over the tent in his trousers. He gulped.

"Well..?" She asked, hands clasped behind her back, her body rocking back and forth on her heels. His breath caught, the Doctor had no answer. Rose flashed him a cheeky smile and said,

"Oh you- you're speechless! I-Rose Tyler-have left the Doctor speechless!" Rose giggled in delight and smiled. The Doctor opened his mouth, about to protest, when the sound of a door opening caught the pair's attention. Jackie Tyler emerged from her bedroom, clad in her beautiful red, business-woman dress. She grasped the wall for support; Her heels may not be tall, but she was used to her trainers and wasn't sure she'd be able to walk without tripping. The Doctor's face was a mirror of shock and happiness,

"Oh Jackie, now don't you look lovely! Howard's deffinitely going to think so as well!" He said, having his speech back. Jackie beamed, flushed, and said,  
"Thanks Doctor." Rose frowned in mock agitation and exclaimed,

"Oi! So she's lovely and I'm what-blank? Couldn't draw one adjective outa this man. Speechless mum!" Rose couldn't keep the fake vexation out of her voice and cracked, giggles pouring out of her mouth. Jackie looked appalled,

"With that gob? Not possible!" The Doctor's cheeks flushed and he turned, tugging at his ear,

"I don't talk _that_ much," He pouted. Rose giggled and replied,

"I can never get you to stuff it! Probably wouldn't be able to shut you up if I snogged you!" The Doctor flushed and mumbled 'Of course it would,' under his breath. He turned to make some sort of retort, but Rose and Jackie were gone. He could hear their steps leading into the bathroom and followed, his shoulders hunched. He found Rose leaning up against the sink, her mother behind her tying her hair into a beautifully twisted knot at the top of her head. Hands in his pockets, he fingered his sonic screwdriver, watching as Rose's limp hair became an elaborate bun.

"Don't you look beautiful darling!" Jackie exclaimed, tugging on a few loose ends and twirling them back into the hair tie. Rose turned and looked in the mirror, then squealed delightedly,

"Oh mum it's lovely! You're amazing!" Then she turned and hugged her mother. Lost in each other's embrace, the two Tyler women forgot the Doctor, but he didn't mind. In fact, he like watching love moments between the mother and daughter. They reminded him of his family and, even though he held no love for his wife, his children were true blessings. But they were gone now, lost during the Time War. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door, smiling. Rose was gazing at him from behind her mother's arms, a kind smile spread on her lips, one that was only directed at the Doctor. That smile held so much more that when she gave it to him, the Doctor liked to think it meant more than Rose really intended it to. He smiled back, flashing her a happy smile, but turned his head at the sound of a car parking outside the estate. Looking up at the small clock above the fireplace, the Doctor noticed the car must be theirs; right on time. He turned back to the two women, their hug over, both gazing at him merrily. Apparently they had heard it, too. The Doctor outstretched his hand, offering it to Rose,

"Ready, Dame Tyler?" Rose grinned back at him, her tongue poking out between her teeth. She took it and held on tightly, as if she were falling and his hand were the only variable between life and death. Cheekily, she said,

"Of course, Sir Doctor."

* * *

The drive to the Tyler Estate had been-there was no other world for it-posh. Elegant. Luxurious. They had driven in a limousine to Rose's uncle Todd's home, drinking champagne in their seats. They had picked up Howard at his house; Thin but muscular, Howard was a kind man with greying hair and sky blue eyes. He was a bit younger than Jackie, but the way that they looked and acted towards each other, one would think they were married. He shook the Doctor's hand and hugged Rose, pulling her off the ground and twirling her in a circle before setting her down so the four could get back into the car. The Doctor was surprised how much Howard already knew about him,

"So you're the Doctor 'eh?" The Doctor nodded,

"And you must be Howard, the man who stole Jackie's heart." The two men shook hands for a second time. The Doctor reached for the champagne just as the limousine began to move.

"So how long are you and Rose staying? Jackie says you're traveling." The Doctor had sputtered into his champagne flute,

"Pardon?" He asked after coughing into his elbow. Some of the fizzy beverage had ended up going down the wrong pipe. He looked to Rose, but she was equally surprised; if Jackie had told Howard the truth about their 'traveling', she had not informed her daughter of her intention to. Howard opened his mouth to answer, but Jackie did for him,

"The Doctor and Rose are planning on leaving at the end of the week. Their flight leaves early in the morning." The Doctor let out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. So he didn't know the truth; at least not all of it. He looked to Rose and saw her face illustrate the same relief of his own. Involuntarily, his hand meandered over to Rose's and snaked it's way between her fingers, palms tightly clasped. Not even hesitating, she squeezed his hand. After a few long minutes of silence, Howard broke the tension by asking where Rose and the Doctor had traveled to last. Instinctively, Rose had said, "Barcelona." She had smiled, the Doctor had laughed.

As soon as they had entered the Tyler Estate, Rose was bombarded by family and friend alike. Apparently, Rose was quite popular with the employees at Clifford Chance. Knowing almost all of them by name, Rose would shake hands-sometimes a hug-exchange pleasantries, and then depart, continuing her search for her uncle Todd. After a half an hour Rose spotted his wife Madison.

"Madi!" She turned and, upon seeing Rose, smiled brightly and rushed towards in. She was gorgeous; Her jet black hair pinned at the top of her head, long legs exposed from the bottom of her short, blue dress, feet placed in black high heels. She engulfed Rose in a hug, grinning brightly when they separated.

"Rose my gosh, look how big you've gotten! You truly are a vision!" She turned to her side, her eyes locking with the Doctor's. "And who might this be?" She asked with a knowing smirk. Rose blushed hotly at her remark. Before she could respond, however, the Doctor said,

"I'm the Doctor. Rose and I travel together." He shot out his hand and she excepted it, shaking it firmly. When their hands departed, Madison raised an eyebrow at Rose.

"Traveling together?" She inquired, both eyebrows making an escape behind her side swept fringe, "Sounds... intimate." Rose blushed hotly under her gaze but didn't answer, instead changing the subject all together,

"Would you happen to know where uncle Todd is?" Rose wanted to know. Madison thought for a moment, then nodded.

"In his study. Best not to disturb him though, he's still working. He promised he'd be down to dance; I didn't dress up nice for nothing. But don't worry, he'll be down. A Tyler always keeps his promises, yeah?" Rose nodded and smiled at the obvious inside joke. "Well I better go, people to greet. Gotta stand by that door and say hi to everybody. I love them to pieces but my gosh can't they let themselves in?" Rose smiled and they exchanged goodbyes. Before Madison Tyler disappeared, however, she leaned in and whispered something in Rose's ear. She may have been too quiet for a human to hear, but with his superior Time Lord physiology the Doctor heard every word. _"You should keep this one. He's cute."_ And then she was off, leaving a slightly breathless, blushing Rose behind her. She looked back over at the Doctor and smiled, then asked,

"I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" the Doctor nodded and threaded their fingers together. Slowly, they made their way through the throngs of people to a large table filled with food and drinks. The Doctor, upon seeing the food, squealed delightfully and sprung towards the table,

"Ooh I love nibbles!" Daintily, he picked a small piece of squid from a metal tray and popped it into his mouth. Rose giggled at his enthusiasm towards food, but made no further comment. Beside him, Rose picked up a small, chocolate covered biscuit from an array of different flavors and bit into it. A moan of pleasure escaped between her lips as the chocolate exploded across her tastebuds. The Doctor gulped, thinking about other ways he could elicit a moan like that from Rose Tyler. Her eyes had closed in the pleasure of the flavor, and when she opened them her face was an image of pure delight. She stretched her arms out, offering him the biscuit.

"Try it, it's delicious!" She exclaimed, nudging it towards his mouth. He raised an eyebrow in question at her, to which she replied, "Open." Now understanding, the Doctor opened his mouth so the biscuit could slip between his lips. Her thumb brushed against his lower lip and he took a sharp intake of breath, his hearts pounding. Then as quick as it had come, it was gone. He chewed thoughtfully and then realized why Rose was so enthusiastic. He moaned softly at the astounding taste. Grinning, Rose said,

"No doubt Madison made them; she's a great cook." Needing a drink, the Doctor retrieved two champagne flutes from the long table and handed one to Rose.

"Cheers," She said, tipping the glass his way and taking a sip. He did the same, the bubbles tickling his lips and leaving behind the wonderful taste of the drink. Bringing it back to his mouth, the Doctor downed the rest of his drink in one gulp. Rose makes a soft sound of contentment and follows his lead, finishing her beverage in one large swallow. She smiled lazily at the Doctor and leaned against him, her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm protectively around her and laid his head atop her own. Smiling, he craned his neck and pressed a kiss to the top of her head,

"Having fun?" He asked when he pulled his lips from her scalp, his head returned to it's original perch.

"Much," She replied, "Though there is something that could make this day _much_ better."

"Oohhoo?" The Doctor asked, pulling away from Rose so he could look her in the eye. Without hesitation, she said,

"Well, I may have been wishing for you to ask me to dance.." The Doctor smiled brightly, took her hand, twirled her-which caused Rose to squeal in delight-then said,

"Then leave it to me, Ms. Tyler, to help fulfill your fantasies." The smile she gave him was so genuine, beautiful, and full of such joy that the Doctor could do little more than grin back. That smile left his knees weak and his legs quaky.

He had no idea where they were supposed to dance, so he simply let Rose lead him through the mansion. She stopped at a large room, music pouring out and people dancing inside. Rose giggled at the Doctor and swung their arms back and forth. Then, giving him a flirtatious look, she said,

"Show me your moves." He grinned at her, his reply a wink, and led her onto the dance floor.

* * *

They had been dancing for only about an hour, but for the Doctor it felt like a life time. At first, they had swayed and twirled, causing Rose to squeal in a mix of shock and delight. Soon after they had begun dancing, more and more people came onto the dace floor. When there was practically no room to breathe, the music turned crazy and wild. Rose had giggled at the Doctor's shock. He had thought this to be a very elegant event, but never the less a jumble of people around them began to rock out like they were at an ACDC concert. But after a while, Rose tired and said she needed to sit. He took her hand and guided her off the dance floor and to a table that was occupied by a lone man who nodded at them, but didn't offer any furthur recognition. The Doctor was relieved about this; he couldn't even remember the man's name - Bill? or was it Phil? - and he certainly couldn't remember if he was Rose's family or an employee. Rose slumped down in the chair closest and rested her arms on the table top, her hand resting on them. The Doctor affectionately patted her back in a way a mother might do to her child. "You tired?" He asked, her fatigue evident on her face. Rose nodded her head back made no further comment. His hand rested against her back and began to rub across the skin there in small, tight circles. She moaned softly and closed her eyes.

After about five minutes of this, and presuming Rose was asleep, the Doctor reached out to her arm. He was right about to pull her into his arms and carry her back to the car to sleep and wait for Jackie and Howard, when a strong voice called out her name, "Rose?" The Doctor looked up and spotted a tall man with a receding hair line and bright, blue eyes. At first, the Doctor thought he were staring into the eyes of Pete Tyler. But he was dead, so the only person it could be is his brother, Todd. Rose groggily lifted her head and looked in his direction. Immediately, her head perked up, her eyes went into focus, and she jumped from her chair to his embrace.

"Uncle Todd!" She squealed, her arms wrapping around his waist. He hugged her tightly to his body and spun her in a circle. She giggled as he twirled her, then finally set her down. Her eyes were glittering brightly and, not even knowing why, the Doctor was grinning like a mad man. Maybe it was because she looked so happy. Or maybe it was because he loved to hear that little giggle.

"Ah, and you must be the Doctor. Jackie has told me a lot about you." The Doctor held in a groan. He could never tell how much information would fly around when it came to Jackie Tyler. He smiled tightly,

"And you're Todd Tyler, Pete's brother." The shook hands and exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes, when out of the blue Todd said,

"Oh, I almost forgot! Rose, Keneau and a couple other people were looking for you. Apparently it had something to do with your travels?" Rose's face turned from laughter to confusion, then to fear. She looked over at the Doctor with a scared expression. The Doctor was also suspicious.

"About what exactly?" He asked after a moment, trying to sound disinterested. Todd shrugged and looked in the direction of the room with the food. Apparently, the people looking for Rose were in there. He wondered if Jackie had let it slip that their travels weren't exactly 'local.' Taking Rose's hand, the Doctor followed Todd into the next room. In a back corner, about seven people were sitting at a table, wine in most of their hands. When the trio approached, the group began to smile, a chorus of, _Rose!_ rising above the din. Several people lifted their glasses in homage to her. Rose lifted her eyebrows when she noticed her mother and Howard sitting in the throng. She cast a confused look to Todd,

"Uncle Todd, what's all this about?" the Doctor eyed her quizzically. She elaborated, "These aren't just people, they're our family members." Eyebrows lifted in confusion, that signature Tyler frown, and her hands on her hips, Rose Tyler looked absolutely frightening. He wondered how her uncle wasn't cowering in fear. Probably used to it.

"Well, considering you wouldn't tell me anything about your travels, I thought they could convince you." Rose's face went from disdain to complete shock,

"You're blackmailing me!" Todd laughed,

"It's only emotional blackmail sweetheart, I assure you. Take a seat." She was hesitant, but sat down. The Doctor sat next to her, his hand going instinctively to hers. She took it without hesitance. Jackie raised an eyebrow in annoyance, as if to say,_ Do you really think_ I'd ask you to tell them **that**? Rose sighed at the silence, looking at the Doctor. His face portrayed the same expression as her's; fear. Then it softened into something much kinder, and then, giving into their humor, the duo began to laugh. Obviously they could answer their questions to quell their curiosity without letting out the Doctor was an alien and they traveled in time and space.

"What do you want to know?" Rose asked, giving in. Her family gasped. Apparently, they had not been expecting Rose to comply. They all shifted in their seats with excitement, looking at one another. Finally, Todd blurted out,

"Where have you been for the past two years? You haven't called, haven't written, and you certainly haven't told us where you've been. You came back last Christmas but had no desire to see us. You didn't even give your mother a proper explanation. We're your family, don't you think that we deserve a little more than that?" The Doctor felt a pang of guilt, knowing most of their secrecy was because of him. Rose also seemed to be guilty and even a little hurt, the expression passive on her face. His thumb stroked against her knuckles of their own accord.

"For the past two years the Doctor and I have been traveling," Rose said. "We didn't call because there usually wasn't any reception, and we couldn't write because there was never any time." Her family gave her skeptic glances, so she looked to the Doctor for support. He butted in.

"The places we travel to are remote. Plus with the beauty of the place, the people, the danger; we sort of forget about all of that." Pete's voice raised an octave,

"Danger? What danger?" The Doctor gulped. He sure as Hell didn't mean for _that_ to slip out. Rose helped him out before he was eaten alive by her family,

"Sometimes the Doctor and I run into.. things that we shouldn't. Crimes being committed that the police couldn't take care of. We sort of, helped out." Okay, so that was true. She was talking about the crimes against threatening the Earth and the police being the Shadow Proclamation. His Rose was very clever. His Rose? Well that sure sounded possessive. Rose's family seemed interested now, intrigued with their lifestyle.

"Tell us?" And so their stories began.

* * *

The Doctor had just finished the story of the time he and Rose had seen the "ghosts." His story, however, had to be told very cautiously as not to give away the secret of time and space travel. Everything he had said was true, but it was bent and he may have left out a few major details. He turned to Rose just as she was finishing up her recount of when they had gone to New New Earth and her body had been taken from her by Cassandra. Her aunt, Janie Tyler he believed her name to be, asked,

"But how did this implant keep you under her control?" The Doctor made up an excuse to save Rose from making something up that made no sense,

"The implant is a small device hooked up to your brain waves that control body and mouth movement. Cassandra got a hold of one and used it to make Rose do or say whatever she bid." Okay, maybe his explanation didn't make much logical sense either. He just hoped none of them realized that technology wouldn't be available to them in at least sixty years. Rose cut in,

"Whoa, whoa, whoa; i think I remember somebody getting one of those in his brain as well. Someone who then lost all sense of personal space and said some very erotic things in my ear." Their small audience gasped or squealed. The Doctor scowled in mock annoyance,

"Rose Tyler, you know as well as I do that she forced me to say those things.." Rose laughed and squeezed his arm with both of her hands, her face inches from his. He could feel her breath on his face. Then, all too soon, it was gone. He scowled again. Rose decided she'd finish her story.

"Then, Cassandra let us go and we took her to see her, er, sister. But Cassandra was sick, and died in her sister's arms." Jackie gasped,

"But that's awful!" Rose nodded her head sadly, a tight smile on her lips. The Doctor instinctively reached a hand out to her and wrapped it around her shoulders. He pulled her in close and rubbed the pad of his thumb across the exposed skin of her shoulder. She hummed her approval and leaned her head on his shoulder. Next thing he knew, Rose was asleep at the table.

"Rose?" He asked quietly. When she didn't stir, he was positive she was out. "Looks like we should be getting going," he said to Howard. Jackie was currently laying against his arm, her eyes drooping, not exactly focusing on anything. He nodded. Rearranging Rose so she'd be more transportable, the Doctor reached under her bum and pulled her into his arms bridal style. Her head lolled on his shoulder, but she didn't stir. The Doctor stood and faced the Tyler's, "It was nice meeting all of you. I'd shake your hand, but that doesn't seem to be able to happen." He nodded his head at Rose's uncle, "Todd." He said in parting. He knew Rose would be upset that he didn't wake her to say goodbye, but he didn't have the heart to wake her.

They made their way across the house and out the front door, saying their farewells to the people they passed. Once to their limousine, the four crammed in and sat in silence, too exhausted to speak. Jackie was the first one to take advantage of the limo's plush interior. She lay down across the seats and sighed in pleasure. After Howard laid down, the Doctor did the same, bringing Rose gently down with him. He stroked her hair as she instinctively nestled into the crook of his neck. The three humans may be asleep, but the Doctor was wide awake. He had not told Rose the way he felt about her and it was driving him mad, and her burrowing into him wasn't helping his dilemma. He may not need as much sleep as humans did, but lying down next to Rose always seemed to make him sleepy. He knew that if he fell asleep in the limo, he'd be awake all night while the other three were asleep in their beds. So he sat up and stayed awake, telling himself he'd sleep when they were back at Jackie's.

* * *

"What time is it?" Rose grumbled. The Doctor looked at Howard's watch,

"Five twelve." Rose slumped against him and put her hand under his jacket and around his waist. She sighed in contentment but made no further comment. At first he thought she was asleep, but then she asked,

"Are we there yet?" He smiled and looked out the window. They were actually fairly close,

"Not yet, but soon. Maybe ten more minutes." Rose made a small noise that she understood and burrowed into his side more than she had been before. About ten minutes later, they arrived at the flat. The abrupt stop woke Howard and Jackie, but Rose was still fast asleep. Or maybe she was just too tired to move.

"Thanks mate," Howard said to the driver. He tipped his hat but did not answer. Jackie and Howard clamored out of the vehicle and began to walk towards the flat without a glance back their way. Apparently Howard was staying over. The Doctor got out of the car and leaned down to speak to Rose,

"Rose?" She made a noise to indicate she was awake. "I'll carry you up, but you have to get out of the car." Her eyes still closed, she stepped out of the car, almost falling, until she was caught by the Doctor. He scooped her into his arms and carried her up to the flat. Thankfully, Jackie left the door open, so he slipped inside and shut the door with his foot. He carried Rose back to her room and set her down. She was too tired to take off the little make up she had on, and she didn't mind sleeping in her dress. The Doctor laid her down on the bed and took off her shoes. He took his own off, followed by his jacket, then slipped into bed beside his companion. She rolled onto her side and fit her body into his. Before he fell asleep, he noticed that their shapes fit together perfectly.


	7. Chapter 7

A light, feathery touch caressed her arm, but Rose nudged it away. She was trying to sleep and she didn't need any distractions. Several seconds later she drifted into a deeper sleep, waking up forgotten. Until, of course, the gossamer touch came back. Rose tried to nudge it away again, but whatever was running up and down her arm wasn't stopping. "Rose," someone said, "Wake up."

"'M sleepin'," Rose said, pulling her body away from the Doctor. She could hear the smile on his lips, but she didn't care. She closed her eyes and began her journey back into dream land. Outside, she heard the wind pounding against the house. Why was it so windy out? _Because it's winter_, she internally scolded herself. Rose's mind began to wander as she fell asleep; Winter, snow, deer, reindeer, Christmas.. _Christmas! _Rose bolted upright so fast the bed shook and the Doctor laughed merrily. Normally, Rose would have scowled and made some sort of cheeky remark, but not today. Today, she jumped from bed - still clad in her dress from last night it would seem - and rushed to the window. Outside, it was snowing heavily for a change. This elated Rose so much that a huge grin became plastered on her face. She ran at the Doctor and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. When she pulled back, he was smiling as well, his eyes twinkling.

"Happy Christmas," she said gleefully. The Doctor's eyes crinkled,

"Happy Christmas," he replied. Rose jumped away from him and ran into her bathroom. There, she washed her face, removing the little makeup she had forgotten about last night. Last night! She didn't get to say goodbye to anyone. Ugh, great. She shrugged off her dress and pulled on her dressing gown, not caring how unappealing she must look at the moment. Right now, the only thing she could think about was giving the Doctor and her mother their presents. It wasn't until she was out of her bedroom and in front of the Doctor that a thought came to her. Her face fell and the Doctor looked at her, confused.

"What?" Rose glanced nervously out her door,

"Is Howard here?" The Doctor nodded,

"Yeah, so?" Rose looked again at the door and sighed impatiently,

"Well, number one, the blooming TARDIS is in the sitting room! And secondly, you and mum's presents are alien. He can't see them!" The Doctor sighed,

"Well as for the TARDIS, she moved. She's a smart old girl. You didn't expect her to stay in the sitting room did you?" Rose blushed. "She's back at the end of the street. As for number two, Howard is going to see his daughter for Christmas, and she lives all the way in Birmingham. He has to leave soon, if he's not already gone." Rose narrowed her eyes,

"How do you know all of this?"

"He told me last night," he said, smiling. "Now come one, Jackie's probably making breakfast in the kitchen."

* * *

After a lovely breakfast of tea, biscuits, eggs, and bacon, Howard announced that it was time for his departure. Rose smiled kindly to him and, trying to be polite, asked, "Are you sure you can't stay longer?" Howard Castille shook his head,

"Nope. Gotta get to Birmingham to see Margret and Bill." He stood up, "Happy Christmas Doctor, Rose, Jackie." He hugged Rose and the Doctor, kissed Jackie and then was off, waving a hand at the three. Once he was gone, Jackie asked,

"Present time?" Rose nodded gleefully and stood up, making her way for the exit.

"Where are you goin'?" Jackie asked.

"You're presents are in the TARDIS!" Rose said, rushing out the door. She dashed down the steps and went into a sprint. Along the way she almost hit into four people, whom she gave an apology and "Happy Christmas!" to over her shoulder. She ran to the bottom of the stairs and stopped, breathing hard. Her heart was beating fast and, hang on, why is her heart beating so fast? Surely her body must have come attune to this, seeing as what her and the Doctor do for a living? But right now she feels a bit off. In fact, she'd felt a bit off as soon as she woke up. Not bad or sick or tired, just.. off. She pushed the thought aside and began a slow trek towards the TARDIS. She was about to reach for the door when an alien thumping began to rattle in her chest. Her hand shot to her heart, which was beating incredibly fast, and gripped her shirt. That's when the pain started.

It was as if her chest were ablaze with fire. "Ahhhh!" She cried out in surprise, slumping against the blue wood of the TARDIS. Her breathing began to come out in shallow pants as the pain in her chest escalated to a hight so that Rose thought she would actually die. No coherent thought could fill her mind, and the pain increased so much that, for a second, she thought she saw golden light. Then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone, and Rose felt fine. Well, except for the pounding in her chest. She sat on the ground and did controlled breathing, trying to think about anything but what she presumed to be the mini heart attack she just had. Obviously she had to tell the Doctor and he could check her out for any health problems. But it's Christmas. Maybe she should wait until tomorrow._What if it's serious?_ The pessimist part of her thought. At least after presents. It only seemed fair that they had a normal Christmas without any interruptions. When she thought she could, Rose got up and shoved her TARDIS key into the keyhole. She rushed inside the TARDIS and leaned against the door, panting hard. Her eyes closed and she breathed in huge gulps of air. When she finally calmed down she slumped against the door and sat for a moment, looking all around the interior of the TARDIS. "What happened to me?" She muttered absentmindedly. The TARDIS cooed and the console flashed and beautiful, glowing light. Rose had no idea what it meant, but for some reason it comforted her. She made her way towards her bedroom and stepped inside, rummaging through her drawers for the presents she had gotten for her family. She found two small packages wrapped in beautiful paper and put in a colorful box. Rose tilted her head to the side in confusion, until she realized this must be the TARDIS's doing. She smiled at the ceiling, blew a kiss at the coral, and got up as quick as she could. In the process, however, she felt another tinge in her chest. She ignored it, and it was slightly easier that time.

She made her way back inside the flat to her mother and the Doctor. There, they exchanged presents, laughter, tears, and smiles. To Jackie was given a phone in which to call Rose with; through all of time and space. The light will shine green if she is available, but red if she is not. Rose gave her mother a portrait of herself, painted by the mighty Pablo Picasso on one of their adventures. To the Doctor, Jackie gave him a cookbook titled, "One Hundred Ways to Use Bananas". To this he squealed with joy and clutched the book to his chest. From Rose, he got a book that listed every single race of species in the world. And, when a new one was discovered, it appeared on it's endlessly blank pages.

"But Rose, how did you get this!? The salesman said there was nothing in the world that he would trade for this!" Rose laughed aloud happily and said,

"Well.. Let's just say I found something." There was so much chemistry between them you could touch it; at least that's what Jackie thought. She didn't say anything, however. Now on to Rose. The Doctor gave her a mood necklace. At first, she was confused. The Doctor laughed and explained that the stone had been, in a way, alive. Inside is a living creature called a sprite. They are native to the planet Twilight which is very, very hot. Too hot, in fact, for the sprites to live. So when they're born, their skin hardens and turns into a kind of stone. As they grow, the stone grows too. Sooner or later you have a beautiful, gleaming, clear stone in which you can see the sprite through. Sprites have a sort of power, or gift if you will, that allows their skin to change colors with their moods. Their 'empathy' as some call it gets transferred into their stones after they die. After their body decays into nothingness, the 'mood stone' is left behind. For thousands of years people have used the stones as necklaces. After the little explanation, Rose gave the Doctor the biggest hug she'd ever given him, along with a kiss on the cheek.

" 'T's beautiful!" She said, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. But Rose could never have been prepared for what her mother gave her.  
"Your grandmother's ring, my ring," she explained. "It's to be given to your son to propose with but, well, your father and I never had a son. Your father's family had been passing this ring down for generations. And, I thought, it was time to give it to you." Jackie reached for Rose's right hand, and she let her take it, somewhat in a trance; not fully understanding what was happening to her. All she could do was focus on was her mother's wedding ring being slipped onto her finger.

"But mum, this is your ring. I can't take this!" But even as she said it, Rose's hand was swishing back and forth, catching the early winter's sun on the little diamond that lay in the centre of the golden band wrapped around her finger.

"Yes you can, and you will. It's your's now Rose." A silent tear escaped Rose's eye and slid down her cheek. Jackie smiled. The Doctor grinned.  
"It's beautiful," he commented, transfixed on the diamond as well. Rose nodded her head in agreement.

Several hours later, the trio were sitting at the table eating dinner. Jackie was just finishing up her story about her and Howard's first date when Rose felt that uncomfortable feeling again. She shimmied around in her seat for a while, hoping neither the Doctor nor Jackie noticed. But the Doctor did. His eyes trailed up and down her body, not paying any mind to what Jackie was saying. Then the pain left, and Rose was still once again, joining in on the conversation, smiling even. But the Doctor kept his eye on her, no matter how at ease she looked.

It was about half an hour later that she did it again. She was was carrying her plate back to the sink when she almost keeled over. The Doctor was by her in an instant, hands on her hips to steady her.

"Whoa, easy there Rose." She shook him off with a tight smile,

"I'm fine, Doctor." She breathed in a couple of deep breaths and stood up, then began walking. She could feel his eyes on her and she turned, catching him just as his eyes left her. "Doctor," She said a little forcefully, "I'm _fine_. Really." She dropped her plate in the sink, washed it off, and put it back in the dishwasher. Rose's hands leaned up against the counter for a moment, letting it hold her weight. Then she pushed off the counter and began walking back to the dining room. Just when she reached the Doctor, however, she fell. He caught her moments before she hit the ground, but that didn't keep away the pain. It was white hot, blinding, and it _hurt_. She shut her eyes tight and muffled a scream, which came out as a soft moan of pain.

"Rose? Rose!" Jackie rushed in the kitchen from the dining room and crouched by his side,

"What happened to her? Rose sweetheart!" But Rose didn't answer. She trashed about like a wild animal, her eyes shut so tightly she thought they'd tear. The Doctor reached into his trouser pocket and cursed himself for leaving his sonic in his jacket, which was in the pocket of his jacket. Just when Rose thought the pain couldn't get any worse, that this was indeed death, it stopped. She blinked and sat upright. So fast, in fact, that she bumped her head against the Doctor's.

"Mmph!" He cried, rubbing his head. "Rose? Are you alright?" She nodded her head and rubbed the sore spot put there but the Doctor's head. Jackie had left the room and returned with a bottle of water.

"Thanks mum," she said, taking half the bottle in one gulp. "God, somehow that was worse than the last time," Rose said to herself, forgetting her family was crowding in on her. The Doctor's eyes widened in shock,

"This has happened before?" Rose nodded. "Ballocks Rose! Why didn't you tell me!?" Rose jumped a bit at his words.

"It was only a few hours ago. I was gonna wait until tomorrow. Didn't want another Christmas ruined.." The Doctor's eyes softened.

"Rose Tyler, your health is certainly more important than a holiday. Jackie, can you fetch me my sonic?" Jackie's eyes widened in shock and a twinge of anger,

"Oi alien boy, what do you tak-" He cut her off,

"Jackie, I need it to check Rose out for possible injuries! It's in my jacket pocket." She blinked in realization, said no more, and went to get it. When she brought it back the Doctor snatched it from her hand and scanned over Rose with it. He brought it to his eyes and blinked. Hard. Then he scanned her again, brought it to eye level, and cursed under his breath.

"What'oes is say?" Jackie asked. He sighed in exasperation.

"Nothing! It says absolutely nothing. Negative, zero, zip." He scanner her again and tried for a third time, this time getting a different reading. "Hang on," he said, eyes scrunching up in confusion. He scanned Rose again and the same message appeared. His eyes traveled from his sonic, to Rose, back and forth.

"Doctor, what is it?" Rose asked, trying to get a peek at the tiny screen on his sonic screwdriver. He put it back in his pocket, got up, and held his hand out to Rose. She took it and he helped her up. Jackie stood up as well, looking at him like he sprouted two heads.

"I'm sorry Jackie, but I'm going to have to take Rose back to the TARDIS to run a few tests." Jackie's eyes blazed not with anger, but fear.

"What?"

"What are you talking about Doctor, I'm fine!?"

"No Rose, you're really not. Sorry Jackie, I'll have Rose call you when we get this sorted." Then he was tugging her out the door.

"Our stuff.." Rose began, but the Doctor finished for her,

"..is in my deep Time Lord pockets. Come on Rose!" Rose could tell whatever he found was serious. He wasn't even trying to mask his fear with laughter like he normally did. And he had good reason to. The Doctor's mind kept flashing him back the words that he saw on his screwdriver:

UNIDENTIFIED LIFE FORM


	8. Chapter 8

Rose had about had it with the Doctor. He had dragged her into the TARDIS and had her send them into space so he could have 'total privacy' while he tried to figure out what's wrong with her. She'd been grateful at how fast he had wanted to check her for something as minor as some chest pain. But after the first hour with no more than a few words from the Doctor, she was getting agitated. "Doctor, have you found anything?" She asked for the thousandth time. Currently, he was looking at a hand held screen that had to be some sort of reading. He kept aiming it at Rose, then bringing it to look at, back and forth. Rose waited for him to answer her, but after five minutes of silence she yelled, "Doctor!" He looked up at her from his screen through his specs and just stared. It almost looked as if he were feeling - no - was it.. guilt? "Doctor," she said gently but forcefully, "What's wrong with me? I know you found somethin', jus' tell me. Please." He looked down and avoided her gaze, busying himself with tubes, vials, and monitors.

"I haven't found exactly what's causing the problem, but I know it has to do with the Bad Wolf," The Doctor said, devoid of any emotion. Rose froze. The Bad Wolf was something she didn't quite remember, but was glad she forgot. All she could remember was pain and gold, and the words she had said. After that, it was pretty much a blank. But what scared her even more was the Doctor. His voice contained no emotion. He was detached, cold even. And it scared her. Maybe she was worse than he was letting on, but best not to press it.

He kept checking her for hours, and by 3:30 P.M. Rose was starting to get tired. Twice now she had closed her eyes to blink and ended up dosing off. That is, until the Doctor would tell her to give him her arm or to switch sitting positions. She was just starting to nod off when she heard the Doctor say, "Tired." It wasn't a question; he knew she had almost fallen asleep three times now. She nodded her head in agreement, looked up to find the Doctor again avoiding eye contact. She slumped against the wall in defeat and closed her eyes. She heard him sigh.

"You can go to bed if you're that tired. First thing in the morning though you're back in here." He was in drill sergeant mode, talking to her as if she were a soldier and had to do exactly as she said. Normally, she didn't mind it. Today, it made her angry.

"Alright," Rose said, jumping off the bed and making her way towards the exit. When she got to the door she looked over her shoulder to find him turned around, his back to her. She frowned and turned towards the door again. She wasn't sure why he was acting this way, but it made her angry, frightful, and upset all at once. The last time her health had been bad - when she accidentally ate an apple who's poison worked on humanoids - he'd been nurturing and taken care of her for a whole week. She was doted on in every sense of the word. Now, he detached himself from her physically and emotionally. Thinking about it made the anger go away to be replaced with rejection. When she got to her room she shut the door and sat on her bed. Suddenly she wasn't so tired anymore. She fingered the stone on her necklace, which pulsed a mucky yellow color. She grimaced and tucked it away in her shirt, not needing to be reminded of her mood by a stone. She pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes. Sleep didn't take too long to find her.

* * *

_ She's running. The only coherent thought that's in her mind is that she has to get to them. She has to find those kids. Without her and the Doctor's help, they'll die. They'd been split up half an hour ago and had been searching for the kids by themselves. Rose had heard someone cry out a few minutes ago and had been going in the direction she thought she'd heard it. After a few more minutes of searching, she found them. Three kids, two boys and a girl, all around the age of seven. They were clinging onto each other for dear life, huddling in a corner. Rose, careful not to make any noise, made her way over to them. They squealed in delight but she shushed them. "Quiet now," she said, "and follow me. Quickly." She led them silently out of the place they were in and through the tunnel she came through to find them. Several minutes later they ran into the Doctor. He took Rose's hand._

_"Run!" They were of like rockets, the Doctor in front, Rose behind him, and the three children taking up the rear. The sound of a Skether's cry made the five some run even faster. They found out the kids are gone, Rose thought. It was all she could do not to be terrified. She'd seen only shadows of the beings and knew only of their appearance by the Doctor's descriptions. He'd told her Skethers only ate children because they're weak and easy to catch; if they'd find a weak adult easy to prey upon they'd be in for a treat. Rose hoped she'd be able to outrun the alien monster. The cave was slowly collapsing, and their plan was to get the kids out moments before the cave fell apart so the Skethers would be trapped inside. If worse came to worse, the Doctor would sonic a boulder across the exit after they were outside so there was no chance the aliens would leave the cave. They'd die inside._

_They turned a corner and were about to bolt for the exit when a Skether jumped in front of them. That was when Rose froze. She looked at the creature and was pumped with so much adrenaline she felt she could run up a wall. It's teeth were bared, it's eyes a piercing yellow, the stench of rotting flesh. It's body looked as if it were decaying, skin shredded off it's body. It's claws dug into the ground and it's muscles tensed. It wasn't letting them out._

_"Other way!" The Doctor yelled, turning the gang the other way. But Rose didn't budge. When he realized that him and the kids were leaving Rose behind, he stopped. "Rose!" He called, "Come on!" But she stayed completely still. The thing began to move towards her painfully slowly. She wasn't even thinking about the fact that she could very well be aiding in the killing of the doctor and the kids. She wasn't thinking about anything, other than the fact that that monster was coming towards her. There were tears in her eyes, but her vision never blurred. She had never been this afraid, never in her whole life. Her heart pounded in her chest, her palms began to sweat. She could vaguely hear her name being called. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Doc... ter... Doc.. tor.."_

"Doctor!"

* * *

He was in her room faster than he thought possible. Her eyes were closed and she was thrashing about in her sleep. The sheets clung to her like thy were stuck together with glue instead of the sheen of sweat that covered her entire body. She was calling his name in agony and distress. Her eyebrows knit together and her eyes were shut tight. Fear shot through him and shook him to his core. Seconds later she was awake, tears cascading down her cheeks. "Doc.. tor?"

He dove for her bed and brought her head to her chest while she sobbed. "It was just a bad dream," he assured her. "Just a bad dream."

"More like a bad memory," Rose said absentmindedly through her tears. The Doctor had no idea what she was talking about, but decided she could tell him in her own time. After she calmed down he asked her gently,

"What were you dreaming about? What do you mean a bad memory?"

"Earth," she replied, wiping away the tears, "4296." Oh, the skethers. He grimaced.

"Rose, that wasn't your fault, you-"

"Don't patronize me Doctor." She said, avoiding his gaze.

"How long?" He asked. Rose looked at him, confused. "How long have you been having nightmares?" Rose looked away,

"Ever since that day."

"But I slept in bed with you at your mother's. If I heard you the whole way in the console room, I think I'd hear you when I'm laying right beside you."

"I woke you?"

"I was already awake Rose; I don't need that much sleep. You know that. Stop trying to change the subject, answer the question."

"I didn't have the nightmares when I was with you!" Rose cried, desperate to shove the words back in her mouth. His expression softened. Hastily, he removed his suit jacket and trainers, and crawled into bed with Rose. "What are you doing?" Rose asked, voice a higher octave than normal. The Doctor snuggled in beside her,

"Scaring away the nightmares. Go to sleep Rose," he said. She turned to face him.

"And what about you?" Rose asked. He curled an arm around her middle,

"Not tired. Probably wont have to sleep for another forty some hours. Rose Tyler, go to sleep." Rose wasn't keen on bossy Doctor, but listened to him anyway. After returning to the land of dreams, she wasn't plagued with nightmares.

* * *

He stayed with her until she woke up, but as soon as she awoke it was back to the infirmary. They spent hours in there, like the day before, except they were actually making progress. Apparently there was some regenerative energy in Rose, which the Doctor told her must be traces of the Bad Wolf. Rose asked for some tea, and so he went to get some for her. He was busing himself with the pot when he heard her scream. He dropped the teapot, which shattered into what seemed to be a million pieces, and rushed in the room. She was on the ground, clawing at her chest. "Rose? Rose!" He dove at her and grabbed his sonic, pulsing at random trying to find the right setting. Nothing seemed to work. "Rose, what's wrong? What's happening?" She continued to wimped. Then, all at once, she stopped. She blinked up at him and pulled away. His eyes narrowed.

"Are you alright?" He asked, waving his sonic screwdriver at her.

"Think so," she said, sitting up. They looked at each other for several more minutes until Rose's hand reached for her heart. "I feel funny," she said. He leaned in close, specs perched on his nose, screwdriver in hand,

"Where?"

"My heart. It feels.. weird." In his mind, the Doctor thought he heard a scoff from the TARDIS. He didn't know why and so he ignored it.

"How does it hurt? What does it feel like?" The Doctor asked. Rose thought for a moment, and through the confusing feelings she managed to say,

"It.. feels like.. something is, pushing. Pushing out of.. my chest." The Doctor stared at her for a moment, eyes large with worry. "Doctor? Have you thought of something?"

"Did you drink the water on Teveros?"

"No?"

"Did you touch a spore on Shello?"

"No."

"Did you eat one of those pink lizards on Resco?"

"No. Doctor, what's this about?"

"Well Rose Tyler, all of my theories of what's happening to you have just been flushed down the toilet. Rose, I'm sorry, but I don't know what's wrong with you." His mouth went dry and his palms began to sweat. He was the Doctor. He was supposed to fix people, to help them. But more importantly, he was supposed to protect his companions. He failed. He failed her. He leaned against the wall behind him and put his head in his hands. He groaned, loudly, and punched the wall with the back of his hand in defeat. Rose jumped a bit at the sound but made no comment. Then, in his mind, he got a picture. A mental picture of something he hasn't tried. A sort of cat scan, except it's a monitor instead of a large machine, giving instant results. He looked at the ceiling in a confused way. It was obviously a disease, not something wrong inside her body. But the TARDIS continued to send him mental pictures and even cured a bit at his stupidity. It was worth a try, at least. He left from his perch and ran for the scanner. Grabbing it, he flicked it on and told Rose to stand up. She did, and he ran it over her body. At first, no results came. Then a soft buzzing noise emerged from the device. "Oh yes! Finally! You're going to be alright Rose! Molto bene! You're going to be fi-" When he saw the readings, he stopped. His smile evaporated and was left with a grim line.

"What does it say!?" Rose asked, ready for some good news. At the sight of his face, she faltered. "Doctor, what does it say?" His eyes brimmed with tears,

"I'm sorry Rose. I'm so so sorry."

"What? Doctor, what is it? What's wrong?" He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, eyes zoned in on his trainers.

"You've got two hearts Rose. The chest pain was the second one coming in." Her eyes widened,

"But you're joking. You're joking, right Doctor? Doctor, please tell me you're joking." He went into lecture mode when he replied.  
"Your, DNA. It's changing. I think it's the Time Energy from the Bad Wolf mixed in with the energy you get when time traveling. I should've seen this coming, I should have paid attention.." He looked menacingly at the wall, as if somehow it were it's fault.

"Will I.. Will I survive?" Rose asked tentatively. He wasn't looking at her when he said,

"No race but Gallifreyan have ever been able to withstand the power of Time Energy inside of them." A tear rolled down his cheek and he wiped it away hastily. Inside his mind he could hear the TARDIS saying something to him, but he shut her out completely. He didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. He wanted to curl up in a ball and scream at the universe for being so cruel. They spend many painstakingly long minutes in silence. Inside his mind the TARDIS was screaming at him, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. He mentally told her to shut up. Then the room began to fill with the sound of her humming. She wasn't letting up. Whatever she had to tell him, she wasn't letting him go without hearing it. He focused on her words and asked her what the Hell she would want to talk about right now.

_ The night of your last regeneration, the Bad Wolf had not taken control of Rose; Rose had linked with the Bad Wolf. Rose __**is**__ the Bad Wolf._  
_What does that matter? _He angrily asked her.

_ If she is linked with a part of the Vortex, would that not make her part Time Lord. You are linked with the Vortex through regeneration and your bond with me. Linking with the Bad Wolf, a part of the Vortex, would make her a part of it too, would it not?_  
_Yes, h_e said, starting to get where she was going with this.

_Which means growing two hearts is just a part of her evolving, is it not?_

_Yes._

_Therefor, Rose is going to be fine._

The Doctor gave Rose a goofy grin. She looked utterly astounded.

"Rose Tyler, you are going to be just fine."


	9. Chapter 9: The End

Things were different now. Once they'd found out that the Bad Wolf was now a part of Rose, the two had been walking on eggshells. The first thing the Doctor wanted to do was run Rose through many, many tests. The Doctor wasn't sure what she hated more; the tests or the fact that she was no longer fully human. He thought about telling Jackie, but realized that it would ultimately be his fault and he's get more than a slap across the face. Currently, the Doctor was waiting for Rose to get out of the shower. They hadn't spoken much and he was getting tired of it. He's the one that shuts everyone out with his inner emotions; not Rose. He'd taken the necklace he got her off the pile of clothes she'd set on the bathroom floor and was twiddling it between his fingers. The color was a light, sad-looking blue. He heard the shower turn off, but the sound didn't register as sound to him. Instead, he continued to twirl Rose's Christmas present between his pointer finger and thumb. The bathroom door opened and the warmth of her shower seeped into his core. Rose may not be talking to him because she was upset about the Bad Wolf, but the Doctor had his own reasons for keeping her at arm's length. She could have died. If the Time Vortex didn't like her, Rose could have been killed in the blink of an eye. That frightened him.

"Doctor have you seen my- oh." His head snapped up and he realized she must have been looking for her necklace. The back of his neck reddened and he blushed a bit. The necklaced changed into a soft pink. The Doctor handed Rose back her necklace. She smiled slightly and asked, "Clasp it?" He nodded and she turned around, swept her hair away from her neck. He came up behind her and wrapped the necklace around her neck. She tilted her head to watch as he set the clasp. His hand was on her shoulder; how it got there, he didn't know. She put her hand over his and squeezed it. He squeezed her hand in return.

"Doctor, I think we should talk about this," she said, turning around to face him. The Doctor sighed and nodded. Yes, they did need to talk about this, no matter how much it might kill him. She took his hand and led him to the library. While they walked the Doctor noticed she was wearing her pyjamas and dressing gown and smelled of coconut. Her smell was intoxicating. When they got to the library, Rose shrugged of the dressing gown and set it on the back of her favorite chair and sat down. The Doctor sat across from her.

"You never really explained to me what has.. changed. I feel the same. I feel like a normal, human being. Except maybe a bit stronger." She blushed and looked away. He ran over all the information he'd discovered that he hadn't yet told her.

"Your DNA has been altered," he said, going into full-fledged lecture mode. It was the only way he'd get through this without getting emotional. "Basically, you have your own DNA, with a little bit of time in there. It's sort of.. energy has taken over a large part of your DNA."

"How much?" She asked.

"72.43% to be exact." Rose sucked in a breath.

"So I'm only 28% 'uman?"

"28.57%" He said, trying and failing to lighten the mood. Instead of chuckling like he'd hoped, Rose grimaced.

"What sort of," she gulped, "changes are there?"

"Well, you'll age extremely slowly. Like Captain Jack does. Only your body wont age like he does. Apparently the Time Vortex likes you more than him." Again, he aimed for a smile of some sort, but got none. He cleared his throat. "Nothing else that I could detect. You might have a faster healing time than humans do, considering you have a small amount of regenerative energy in your system." That got Rose's attention.

"I wont.. I wont _regenerate_ will I?" Rose asked in disbelief.

"No, of course not. Not enough energy. But it might be enough to heal your wounds faster. It's what will keep you alive for so long. But, even time energy has to run it's course sometime." Rose nodded slowly and looked away from him again. This was going to be hard for her, but she had to accept this. This was a part of her now. Before he could stress this, however, Rose said,

"How long will I live?"

"Hundreds of years." She nodded.

"And I get to stay with you?" His eyes flew open,

"Of course. I mean, if you want to." Rose stared at him in open shock. "What, you didn't think I was going to throw you out did you?" Rose looked away shamefully. The Doctor got up from his chair and knelt in front of Rose. He took her jaw in his hand and moved her head so she faced him. "Rose Tyler, I will never leave you behind. I could never - " he paused, "what I said, when we met Sarah Jane was true. It would kill me to watch you die, but I would - "

"But now you don't have to." Her face had lost it's sad edge, and a smile was starting to form on her lips. His eyes lit up.

"And now I don't have to." By now, their faces were inches apart. The Doctor looked from her eyes to her lips until, _finally_, he pressed his lips against hers. Rose gasped and her lips remained immobile. He tore his mouth from hers and looked at Rose with a hurt expression. Her eyes held shock, then suddenly filled with a look he'd never seen before. Lust. Slowly, she stroked her hand up his neck and finally stopped at his hair. She leaned into him and he closed his eyes just as her lips touched his. At first, it was a soft kiss, just gentle pressure. But when the Doctor made no move to heat things up, Rose took it upon herself to do something about that. She pulled lightly at his hair and a soft moan escaped past his lips. While his mouth was open, Rose's tongue slithered it's way into his mouth. He moaned embarrassingly loudly as her tongue ran it's way across his gum line and across his teeth. He never knew kissing could be like this. The Doctor's hands slithered up Rose's thighs to rest on her behind. He gave it a gentle squeeze and she whimpered. He'd smile if his mouth weren't already preoccupied with Rose's tongue and teeth. Her tongue traced over his bottom lip which made him squirm. She wrapped her legs around him and, getting the signal, the Doctor hoisted her up from the chair into a standing position. Her hands ran up his torso and pushed his jacket off. She grabbed his tie and pulled his head back down for a thorough snog.

The Doctor decided it was time to show who the dominant one was and began to battle with her tongue. She didn't give up easily, stroking him up and down to try and win the battle. In the end, the Doctor decided to caress Rose's body in a place that made her squeal. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and pillaged her. He would not let her take over again. He was going to ravish her, this human time hybrid whom he'd fallen in love with. Just when things were starting to heat up, Rose's phone rang.

"Ballocks," she said, breaking the kiss and grabbing her phone out of her dressing gown pocket. "Hullo?" Rose asked.

"Hi sweetheart. What's going on? Have you found out what's wrong yet?" The Doctor - not able to keep away from Rose another minute - decided that if he couldn't kiss her mouth he'd have to kiss her somewhere else. He zoned in on her adam's apple, licking and sucking it.

"Uh, yea mum we - ughhh!" Rose let out a very loud and very long groan when the Doctor began to hum against her throat.

"What's that? Are you all right dear?"

"Oh yea 'm fine mum, never betta-" Her inability at speech was amusing the Doctor and sending a very strong felling of pride through his system. It was also giving him a bulge in his trousers. "Mum, 'm gonnna.. Gonna have ta.. call you bac - " Speaking was getting harder and harder and she didn't like the smirk on the Doctor's face.

"Okay sweetheart, call me back later. Love you."

"Love you too." She shut her phone and threw it on the couch. She could here the skepticism in her mother's voice but couldn't bring herself to care. Not with a very turned on Doctor in front of her. He made a step towards her and then they were at it again, snogging the daylights out of each other. As time passed, more and more clothes were shed until there were no barriers left between them. After giving in to their passions and declaring their love for one another, the two laid in their bedroom and caressed each other.

They have a long road ahead of them, they know that. There will be fights, joys, sorrows, losses, friends, enemies, and deaths. But through all the bad stuff, they'll have each other. Before they fell asleep that night, the Doctor shifted on his side to look at his lover. Yes, he could call her that now. She appeared to be sleeping, but after several moments of staring she popped open an eye and smiled cheekily at him - tongue between her teeth. She snuggled in closer to him and laid her head on his chest. Against her ear, she could hear his dual thumping as well as her own. There was only one more thing that could make this night more special. And so he asked her the words he'd only asked once before. She responded in the exact same way.

"How long are you going to stay with me?"

"Forever."


	10. Chapter 10

s/9678336/1/Mists-of-Fire

Some people said the link to the sequel is't working, so there it is.

If it still isn't working, just go to my published. The sequel is called Mists of Fire.


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